MOSCOW, June 29 (RAPSI) — By the end of 2021, about 517,000 crimes committed using information and communication technologies (ICT) were registered in Russia, according to Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Legal Cooperation, Head of the Organizational and Legal Department of the Prosecutor General's Office Sergey Plokhov. 

On the whole, such crimes make up more than a quarter of the total crimes committed in Russia, the official said in the framework of the session “Combating Information Crime: International Legal Instruments” at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPBILF). 

Plokhov drew attention to the fact that only several years ago, the category of information crime made only 2% to 3% of the total number of crimes, but at present every fourth socially dangerous act is committed with the use of ICT. 

According to the official, the growth in the scale of information crime in recent years is due, among other factors, to the pandemic, the emergence of digital virtual assets and currencies, and the process of digitalization.