Information technologies in the Investigative Committee

2024

Russian investigators solve 10-year-old murder with space shooting

Russian investigators in August 2024 uncovered a murder committed ten years ago using space photography. This investigation, conducted by the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the LPR, made it possible to identify the culprit of the crime, despite the past time and initial difficulties in collecting evidence.

According to the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the LPR, in November 2014, an explosion occurred in the center of Stanitsa Luganskaya in a construction store owned by a local entrepreneur. As a result of the explosion, the owner of the store received multiple shrapnel wounds and was urgently hospitalized. Within a month, doctors fought for his life, but the man died before he could tell about what had happened. The only clue for the investigators was the symbol of the German car brand drawn by him in the hospital, which he managed to show to his friend.

source = CKP

Almost ten years later, in January 2023, the mother of the deceased entrepreneur turned to the Stanichno-Lugansk interdistrict investigation department, claiming that his former friend could be behind the death of her son. According to relatives, conflicts often arose between men, and a German-brand car belonging to this friend was spotted near the store on the day of the tragedy.

Investigators conducted a comprehensive check of the scene, using modern forensic equipment. Fragments of an explosive device were found, which confirmed the fact of a deliberate explosion inside the premises. However, the suspect vehemently denied his guilt, claiming the explosion was a result of artillery fire, which was common in the fall of 2014.

To confirm or deny this version, investigators turned to archival materials from the space survey. The shooting data clearly showed that the explosion occurred inside the building, not outside, which ruled out the possibility of an artillery strike. This was crucial evidence in establishing the fact of the murder.

The complex of investigative actions and the collected evidence made it possible to bring charges of murder committed in a generally dangerous way, according to paragraph "e," part 2 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for the suspect, who is now awaiting consideration of the case in court.^[1]

AI, big data. How digital technologies are used in the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

The Investigative Committee of Russia is actively introducing digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis, to improve the effectiveness of investigations. As the chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia [Bastrykin Alexander Ivanovich 'Alexander Bastrykin]] said in August 2024 at a meeting on the development of information technologies in the department, promising developments have been created that will significantly improve the ability to analyze large amounts of data.

According to TASS, new AI-based systems will help investigators quickly process information, which will speed up the process of investigating crimes. Yet despite AI's high role, the tool will not fully replace the individual in investigative work. AI will support investigators by helping them find key insights and conclusions in large amounts of data.

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Freepik

In addition, the focus is on improving the information and technological system of the IC of Russia in the context of import substitution of software. In August 2024, a pilot project is already being implemented on the basis of individual units of the committee, which includes testing of domestic software products. The agency also plans to integrate its information systems with government digital services, which will create a single and more effective platform for data exchange.

As part of the introduction of digital technologies, the Investigative Committee also actively uses systems based on AI algorithms for forensic research. According to the head of the Forensic Center of the TFR Sigmund Lozhis, one of these systems allows you to build a psychological portrait of a serial criminal based on a number of signs identified at the initial stage of the investigation. This technology, using neural networks, is able to accurately predict the various characteristics of the criminal, including his age, marital status and even the presence of mental illness. The accuracy of some forecasts exceeds 90% and can reach almost 100%.^[2]

How digital technology helps TFR solve long-standing crimes

The introduction of digital technology in forensic science provides an opportunity to solve crimes committed decades ago. Specialists use the latest hardware and software solutions, as well as artificial intelligence tools to find criminals. At the end of July 2024, the Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) spoke about new methods of work.

According to RBC, referring to the data of the TFR, when investigating crimes, criminologists use ground radars, sensors of the electronic situation, images of remote sensing of the Earth and much more. Industry knowledge in medicine, biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, cybernetics, electronics and programming is being transformed into forensic skills, helping to solve crimes more effectively. Digital AI systems and tools allow you to receive information that is significant for establishing the circumstances of the crime and become useful tools in the hands of investigators and criminologists.

source = Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

Significant assistance in the investigation of crimes is provided by technology for improving images from street cameras. As an example, the TFR cites the murder of a girl committed in 2009 in Krasnodar. The offender was captured on a dark night by only one CCTV camera, and the video was of very poor quality: a person walked in a hood covering his face, and it was not possible to see at least some signs of his appearance. The young man fell under suspicion, but then it was not possible to prove his involvement in the crime. The case was resumed in 2023: using forensic image improvement technologies and mathematical algorithms to calculate the growth and gait characteristics of the person captured on the video, the investigators were able to prove the man's guilt.

When organizing the work of specialists, special attention is paid to the use of domestic software. Russian developments such as Mobile Criminalist help in the investigation of crimes: this solution is designed to extract and analyze data from mobile devices, cloud services, drones and computers. It is noted that the TFR uses hardware and software novelties of domestic and foreign production "without preference for specific manufacturers and countries of origin." But against the background of the formed geopolitical situation, the share of domestic products is growing.

Thanks to digital technology, forensic scientists solve non-obvious crimes of past years, including murders and crimes committed by members of organized groups. Such criminal cases are again carefully studied: repeated improved examinations are carried out using new software and hardware solutions. If the evidence base is formed, the cases are sent to the court with an indictment.

The TFR notes that specialists are armed with modern forensic technology that allows them to detect and record material evidence of almost any origin: from microparticles and odors to objects hidden underground and under water. If earlier, when solving, for example, murders, only a forensic biological examination was appointed, then as of 2024, studies are being carried out on potic secretions, genotype, and the mechanism of contact of clothing fibers. It is said that thanks to modern technologies and new methods of analysis, "one drop of blood can establish a person's identity with an accuracy of 99%."^[3]

2023: Head of Rosfinmonitoring reported to Putin on the launch of a "transparent blockchain" in law enforcement agencies

On March 9, 2023, the head of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) Yuri Chikhanchin, at a meeting with President RFVladimir Putin, spoke about the launch of a "transparent blockchain" in Russian law enforcement agencies. Read more here.

2021: Creating a polygraph that reads eye movement

In Russia, a polygraph was created that reads the movement of the eyes. This was announced in October 2021 by the head of the Research Institute of Criminalistics of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexei Bessonov. According to him, it is impossible to deceive the device. The device is called "Aytreker" or "Oculograph," it has already begun to be used in pilot mode. Read more here.

2019

Launch of a service for business complaints about the pressure of security officials

In November 2019, a Russia service was launched for business complaints about pressure from law enforcement agencies. The platform "" ЗаБизнес.рф accepts the appeal to,,, and State Office of Public Prosecutor Investigative Committee. MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS FSB More. here

Using technology that recognizes hidden faces under the mask on video

On October 14, 2019, it became known that the Investigative Committee of Russia uses technologies that recognize the faces hidden under the mask on video. Forensic experts and experts with the help of technical means can record traces of a crime that are "intangible and not visible to the human eye," according to the release of the program "Wonders of Forensic Science" on the department's YouTube channel.

The host of the program gave an example with the murder of a businessman in Tambov. The criminals recorded street surveillance cameras, but it was not possible to identify him. Then the investigator appointed a video technical examination, which, with an accuracy of centimeters, determined the parameters of the suspect's face and physique, as well as the color of the clothes in which he was at the time of the crime.

The Investigative Committee of Russia uses technologies that recognize hidden under the face mask on video

Under the onslaught of the collected evidence, the accused had only one thing left - to confess to the committed crime, - said the representative of the UK.

The Investigative Committee also uses technologies to superimpose 3D models of the face on blurred personnel of the video recording, which captures the suspect. Thus, a rapist was caught in Moscow, who attacked his victims in the entrances and was not afraid of the poor quality of shooting intercom cameras.

As Vadim Smekhnov, a senior forensic investigator, said in the "Wonders of Criminalistics" program on the official YouTube channel of the department, intangible digital space for criminalistics and for combating crime in general is the main source of the trace picture of the crime scene. The department notes that on the Internet, traces of a crime are only a combination of numbers, and criminals are trying to destroy them. However, forensic scientists can "find evidence even in a grandiose digital basket."

In Moscow, a face facial recognition system used to capture criminals, which is built into the city's video surveillance network. For two years of testing the technology with its help on the streets and in the metro of the capital, the police detained more than 300 people by June 2019.^[4]

IT projects in the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

{{# ITProj: Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation}}

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