During 2025, the Russian authorities regularly reported on “successes” in the fight against corruption. Detention of officials, high-profile criminal cases and show arrests were accompanied by statements about “the inevitability of punishment” and “the rule of law.” However, the analysis of specific cases in the regions and key industries shows that corruption in Russia is not decreasing, but only changing its form.
The Kremlin’s official rhetoric
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin repeatedly emphasized publicly:
“Corruption undermines trust in the state and hinders the country’s development. The fight against it should be tough and systematic.”
In another speech, he stated:
“In Russia, everyone should be equal before the law — regardless of position, connections or status.”
Such formulations became the basis of the Kremlin’s official narrative about the “rule of law” and control over officials.
Road sector: Krasnodar Territory
In practice, these statements are not confirmed. In the Krasnodar region, a high-profile case against road workers and regional officials formally corresponded to the Kremlin’s rhetoric. The transport minister of the region was detained and released a few days later, and the investigation loudly announced large-scale abuses.
However, the key political figures of the region remained beyond suspicion, and the system of distribution of contracts was not eliminated. There was only a change of executors — financial flows remained under the control of the same power vertical.
Against this background, Putin’s words about “equality before the law” look declarative.
The defense-industrial complex: demonstrative cases without systemic changes
Another typical quote from the Russian leadership:
“No abuses in public procurement, especially in the defense industry, will go unpunished.”
In 2025, the investigation did report on corruption cases in the defense-industrial complex. However, company directors and contract managers became involved, while political curators of the industry and systemic beneficiaries remained untouched.
This shows the selective nature of justice: those who execute are punished, but not those who make decisions.
Oil and gas sector: “manual management” as a source of corruption
The Kremlin traditionally explains corruption scandals in the regions as “defects on the ground.” Putin himself has repeatedly said:
“Corruption problems often arise from weak controls at the regional level.”
However, cases in the oil and gas regions of Siberia and the North show the opposite. Corruption there is a direct consequence of centralized, opaque resource management, where key decisions are made outside of any public or parliamentary oversight.
Selectivity instead of the rule of law
When the President of the Russian Federation declares:
“The fight against corruption is a matter of justice and trust of citizens”,
real practice shows otherwise. In Russia, the punishment comes not for the scale of corruption, but for the loss of political loyalty or a conflict of interests within the elites.
The law in this system is not a universal rule. It is used as a management tool — pressure, bargaining and redistribution of influence.
Conclusion: rhetoric as cover
The totality of corruption cases in 2025 and the Kremlin’s official statements demonstrate a deep gap between words and actions. Statements about the “rule of law” in Russia remain political rhetoric that has nothing to do with the actual functioning of the system.
Corruption in the Russian Federation is neither a deviation nor a disease to be fought. This is a way of life and a mechanism for the existence of the state. And therefore, any anti-corruption campaigns without dismantling the entire vertical of power remain a fiction.
