MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. Every second crime in Russia is committed in cyberspace, since the beginning of the year the damage from cybercrimes has exceeded 116 bln rubles ($1.25 bln), said Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said.

"Over the past five years, the number of illegal acts in cyberspace has more than doubled. Today, their share in the total number remains significant and amounts to about 40%. That is, every second crime, and for serious and especially serious crimes, this figure has already reached 60%," he said at a meeting of the public council of the Russian Interior Ministry.

Kolokoltsev noted that individuals and legal entities, including government agencies, become victims of illegal actions in the digital area.

"Significant damage is caused to the economy and property rights of citizens. Since the beginning of the year alone, the total amount of damage has exceeded 116 billion rubles," the minister added.

The Interior Minister noted that his ministry has special units to combat crimes in the field of IT technologies. They pay much attention to strengthening their human resources.

"At present, almost one thousand students are studying at our universities in educational programs related to computer and information security. In addition, this year, more than 750 employees of the central office and territorial agencies have improved their qualifications," Kolokoltsev said.

According to him, the integrated approach is yielding results.

"In January-August, the number of serious and especially serious crimes that were solved, including those committed by organized groups of criminal communities, has increased," the minister said.