Corruption is one of the central problems in our country, thriving in nearly all spheres of life in Russian society.
Anything in Russia related to the state is likely corrupted. State corporations and companies operate with a lack of transparency, and their leadership is appointed based solely on the personal interests of officials. Major private companies are usually corrupt as well, with their oligarch owners supporting officials who are supposed to oversee their activities.
Today, we won’t delve into the staggering theft carried out by top-level officials and Vladimir Putin himself — Alexei Navalny and his team have likely done enough to make this clear. However, corruption at lower levels is a problem of great significance.
One of the mundane but rarely discussed reasons for institutional corruption is the low official income of lower-level officials. Our movement advocates for reducing the overall size of the state apparatus, but the work of its employees must be adequately compensated. At the same time, penalties for corruption crimes should be significantly stricter. Together, these measures would make the risks taken by corrupt officials disproportionate to the benefits of accepting a bribe.
Another critical factor in combating corruption is ensuring the transparency of state registries and the declaration of assets. Real estate and corporate registries must once again become fully open to public scrutiny.
We also advocate for the introduction of mandatory expense declarations for public officials and the ratification of Article 20 of the UN Convention Against Corruption, which establishes liability for officials whose expenditures exceed their legal income.
By implementing these measures, we can strike at the heart of corruption and create a state that serves its citizens rather than its officials.
