OtherNov 10, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC·1 min read

Russia's Interior Ministry Plans Fully Electronic Crime Reports

Russia's Interior Ministry has published a draft order that would let police accept crime reports entirely in electronic form, with the same legal force as paper.

A person submitting a crime report on a laptop, with a police badge and a digital document icon on the screen. — Image: Хабр

Russia's Interior Ministry (MVD) has put a draft departmental order up for public discussion that would allow police departments to accept crime reports entirely in electronic form.

Citizens can already file a report online, through the reception page on the ministry's website or via the Gosuslugi portal. In practice, though, an officer must print the electronic submission and enter it in the logbook of crime reports. While the report is reviewed, police contact the applicant by phone or email for details, and if a criminal case is warranted, the applicant is invited to come in person.

Same legal force as paper

Under the draft, information recorded electronically would carry "the same legal force and significance as that registered on paper," the ministry said. It describes the change as part of its digitalization drive. The new method would be introduced only where a given regional police body has the technical capability.

Experts see more reports and new risks

Mikhail Gusev, a lawyer at Infralex, expects the option to bring a significant rise in reports, given the many fraud cases in recent years. He noted that people often avoid contacting law enforcement because they do not want to go through formal procedures in person.

Vladislav Bezushkevich of Criminal Defense Firm said an electronic system would make it harder for officers to lose a report, backdate its registration or avoid registering it altogether. He added, however, that it remains unclear how data would be protected in the event of cyberattacks.

The draft is still at the public consultation stage, so its final wording and the rollout across regions may change.

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Tags:russiainterior ministrye-governmentgosuslugidigitalizationpolice