Corruption was Putin's loyal companion for years, but in the Ukraine war data leaks caused by bribery of Moscow police officers are now causing trouble.
Moscow – On the outside, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears modest, but in fact he is one of the richest people in the world.
Corruption in Russia has been his faithful companion over the past few decades.
The Kremlin chief used the corruption in the country to amass his extensive fortune, to put confidants in positions of power - and opponents in prison.
In the Ukraine war, the corruption network could now be out of control.
Out of control?
Corruption network in Russia targeted by domestic intelligence
According to Transparency International, Russia was ranked 137th out of a total of 180 countries in the global corruption index in 2022.
"The Russian regime in particular is also trying to use strategic corruption in order to undermine democracies, to undermine them and to influence political decisions," said Margarete Bause, Deputy Chairwoman of Transparency International.
Corruption in Russia runs through all levels of society, something that Putin has used to his advantage for years.
But now the system doesn't seem to work anymore.
Last week, the Russian news agency
Tass
reported raids on Moscow police departments.
According to Russian media reports, several officials have been arrested by the domestic secret service FSB.
There are suspicions that the officials have shared personal information about Russian security forces with outsiders, some of them Ukrainian citizens.
Previously, prominent nationalist pro-war advocates such as blogger Wladlen Tatarski and Daria Dugina, the daughter of Kremlin philosopher Alexander Dugin, had been killed in targeted attacks.
Ukraine had not officially claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Kremlin is now removing police officers "who sell addresses of certain officials to Ukrainian citizens after the Tatarsky and Dugina attacks," Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, told the Daily
Beast
.
"They are afraid of assassination attempts."
Ukraine war: Putin wants to dry up the black market of stolen data
There has been a black market in stolen data in Russia for years – including cell phone numbers, addresses, whereabouts, text messages and bank details.
The prices vary depending on the procurement effort, the stolen data collection is also called "probive", as the Moscow correspondent of the
Daily Beast
reported.
Both jealous spouses, lawyers, journalists and criminal networks use the stolen private information.
The fact that the corruption of the Russian police has now landed on Putin's radar is simply due to the war in Ukraine.
Because the attacked country could use the Russian data leaks to its advantage.
The Kremlin publicly accused the arrested police officers of leaking information to Ukraine.
The
Tass
news agency is more specific about the police data leak: "Ukrainians took advantage of this and ordered information about security forces, judges and other special services," it said.
This information could not be independently verified.
However, Putin is said to have known gaps in his own corruption system since 2018, when two Russian citizens were arrested by the police in London in connection with the nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
A research network had apparently revealed their identity with the help of probiv data.
According to an analysis by the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the raids of the past week should also be seen against the background of arrests and dismissals of prominent members of the leadership of the Russian National Guard.
Putin may want to overhaul the internal security apparatus "in order to dismiss officials who have fallen out of favor with the Kremlin and to further consolidate control over the internal security organs," according to the ISW.
"Any government must be able to protect information, especially one with such autocratic tendencies," former KGB officer and former Duma deputy Gennady Gudkov told Daily
Beast
.
But in a corrupt country, information cannot be kept secret.
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Russian corruption has this influence in the Ukraine war – and in Germany
While strategic corruption abroad may consolidate Putin's power, systemic corruption at home has arguably become a problem.
Observers doubt that a few arrested police officers can shake the corruption system that has been established over decades.
However, the Ukraine war also contributes to the enrichment of Putin's followers.
According to research by independent journalists, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, earned around 52 million euros from the war in 2022 through contracts with the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, significantly more than in the previous year.
The excesses of strategic Russian corruption apparently also extend to Germany: With the help of massive financial resources, Russia has expanded its network of influence at the federal and state level in Germany over many years.
Money has flowed into supporting AfD politicians, financing the state-owned "MV Foundation for Climate and Environmental Protection" and disinformation campaigns - or into lucrative posts such as for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD).
In this way, Russia was able to strengthen its geopolitical position, according to Transparency International
(bme).
