Ukrainians account for most of crimes committed by foreigners in Russia

Ukrainians account for most of the crimes committed in Russia by foreigners, head of the Russian Interior Ministry's main criminal investigation department Colonel Viktor Papsuyev (Militia) announced at a briefing on Tuesday.

"Citizens of the CIS member states display the highest criminal activity, they account for over 91 per cent of crimes committed by foreigners," Papsuyev said. Ukrainian citizens commit almost one fourth of all crimes, he added.

According to the Interior Ministry, over the nine months of the present year, foreigners have committed over 31,000 crimes, an increase of 9.4 per cent against last year.

The ministry forecasts further aggravation of the situation with crimes committed by foreigners or against them, as the number of foreign citizens coming to Russia is steadily increasing, Papsuyev pointed out.

"Intensified foreign economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and other countries forced international criminal syndicates to adjust to new political and economic relations between countries, establishing contacts between themselves and laying their hands on sales markets," the ministry's representative explained. This led to creation of ethnic criminal groups: Chinese and Vietnamese in the Maritime and Khabarovsk territories, in the Sverdlovsk, Irkutsk and Chelyabinsk regions, Afghani groups in Moscow and St.Petersburg, he said.

"Even Nigerian organized criminal groups are intensifying their activities in Russia," Papasuyev added.