Kremlin official says corruption threatens Russian sovereignty

Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, said at a conference today in Moscow that “civil servants of all ranks mustn't sit around idly, living off others’ work.” “We need to lead by an example of irreproachable conduct and modesty,” Ivanov emphasized. 

Corruption is a direct threat to the security and sovereignty of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ivanov said. “We need to cultivate a public rejection of corruption, and an understanding that even the slightest instance of graft will inevitably and unescapably be punished,” the Kremlin official said.

In November 2013, political activist Alexey Navalny’s group, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, revealed a housing community about 25 miles outside the center of Moscow, where several high-ranking Russian state officials own lavish homes. Some of the homeowners in this development include Sergei Ivanov’s very own deputy, Vyacheslav Volodin, as well as Sergei Neverov (the secretary general of Russia’s ruling political party), Sergei Prikhodko (Russia’s deputy prime minister), and Igor Rudensky (a Duma deputy and United Russia member).

According to Navalny, it should have been impossible for these state officials to afford their homes in this community, based on their official income. Navalny’s group has gone on to accuse other high-ranking state officials of living far beyond the means of their reported wealth.

According to Transparency International’s worldwide corruption index, Russia ranks 136th.