The average size of a bribe in Russia nearly...
"The size of a bribe, both commercial and personal, was more than 23,000 rubles ($776) last year," the ministry"s Department of Economic Security report said. In 2008, the average size was 9,000 rubles ($304).
Bribery is one of the greatest hindering factors to Russia"s investment climate. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged to fight corruption when he entered office in May 2008, highlighting the issue as one of the country"s most serious problems.
A series of scandals involving police in 2009 culminated in a presidential decree ordering a major overhaul of the Interior Ministry, with personnel cuts of 20% over two years to be balanced by higher salaries for remaining staff.
"In 2009, 4,300 crimes were registered in commercial and other organizations, including 4,200 to the interior ministry itself. Some 1,700 of those were linked to corrupt business practices," the report said. Around 4,000 people were arrested for bribery in 2009.