MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. The main cybercrime threat facing Russia comes from abroad, primarily from Ukraine, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said.

"Measures are being taken to improve the effectiveness of the fight against cybercrime. It should be noted that significant threats come from abroad, primarily from Ukraine," he said at an expanded board meeting of the Interior Ministry, which has oversight over Russia’s national police force.

Kolokoltsev added that, last year, in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions, the ministry activated mechanisms to counteract the concealment or substitution of subscriber numbers. Organizational measures were also taken. The total number of employees working in this area was increased by 18% last year, mainly due to the creation of operational units on the ground to combat the illegal use of IT technologies, Russia’s top cop emphasized.

"More than 100,000 people who committed IT crimes were detected. The number of such acts investigated by the police increased by 20%, which proves that almost a third of such activities are carried out in an organized fashion," he said.