You're reading: Immigrant crime on the rise in Moscow

People from other regions account for 50% of crimes committed in Moscow since the beginning of 2013, City Prosecutor Sergei Kudeneyev said on Friday.

“People who do not live in Moscow are responsible for one in every two crimes. Of them, foreign citizens, primarily from CIS countries, account for more than 40% of these crimes,” Kudeneyev said.

“The number of crimes committed by immigrants has grown, and these crimes have become more severe,” he said.

The number of serious and very serious crimes committed by immigrants in Moscow has increased by almost 60%, with murders going up 20% and instances of intentional grave bodily harm by 37%, he said.

Fraud rates among immigrants have soared by 80%, he added.