Corruption in Russia

Corruption in Russia is considered a very serious problem, impacting various aspects of life, including the economy, business, politics, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. It hinders economic development, contributes to inequality, and undermines democracy and human rights. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance, and attributed to the general weakness of the rule of law in the country. Transparency International stated in 2022, "Corruption is endemic in Russia", and assigned it the lowest score of any European country in their Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021. It has, under the regime of Vladimir Putin, been variously characterized as a kleptocracy, an oligarchy, and a plutocracy; owing to its crony capitalism economic system. As of the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Russia scored 22/100 and ranked 157th of 182 countries. According to Transparency International, Russia’s scores of 22 in 2024 and 2025 are the country's worst results since the current scoring system was introduced in 2012.