Kathrine Frich
Newly published figures from Russia have drawn attention to a sharp rise in the number of people sought by law enforcement.
The data points to a trend that observers say reflects deeper structural problems.
Independent media outlets argue the scale of the increase is unprecedented in recent years.
Record numbers
Radio Svoboda reported that by the end of 2025, Russian police, security services and courts were seeking 114,408 people nationwide.
The figures come from Russia’s Interior Ministry and were published by the Vyorstka website.
The total represents an increase of almost one third compared with the previous year. Radio Svoboda said the rise amounts to 37.8 percent, calling it the largest increase in at least 17 years.
In contrast, 2024 saw a decline of about 31,400 people on wanted lists.
At that time, officials had expected the number of wanted individuals to rise by only 5.1 percent, marking what was seen as a modest reversal of a long downward trend.
Long-term shift
Radio Svoboda noted that in 2008, around 225,800 people were officially wanted in Russia. By the end of 2023, that figure had fallen to roughly 79,000.
The sudden jump recorded in 2025 therefore stands out against nearly two decades of gradual decline. Analysts say this makes the latest data particularly striking.
At the same time, Russian authorities continue to withhold detailed crime statistics. The Interior Ministry does not publish data on deaths resulting from criminal activity, despite frequent media reports of new killings.
Crime and war
Independent outlets have reported that some of the violent crimes involve former soldiers who fought in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Observers say this complicates efforts to understand the real level of criminal activity.
The InfoSecurity portal reported that in the first half of 2025 there were 333,251 acts classified as “grave or particularly grave.”
In the same period of 2024, there were 301,746. According to Radio Svoboda, such incidents were significantly fewer before the war.
Policy impact
Kirill Titayev, a specialist in Russia’s law enforcement system, told Vyorstka that migration policy changes may be a key factor behind the surge.
He linked the rise to the launch of a “register of controlled persons,” which applies to migrants from former Soviet republics.
Under the system, when their geolocation data is unavailable in the “Amina” app for three days, they are added to the register, increasing the number of people formally listed as wanted.
Sources: Radio Svoboda, Vyorstka, InfoSecurity, O2.
