President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Grigorenko, I propose we begin with the development of the Gosuslugi system. I know you would like to report on a number of other issues as well. Let’s get started.
Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko: Mr President, you pay close attention to the quality of government services. The government is actively improving them. We are currently working to digitalise government services. This is important because it greatly simplifies access to these services and eliminates bureaucracy. And it is simply very convenient.
Today, the Gosuslugi portal has become something of a calling card, even on a global scale. Other countries compare the range of services we offer on the Gosuslugi portal and the way we deliver them with their own systems.
Currently, over 112 million people are registered, and 14 million people use the Gosuslugi portal daily to access services. The portal offers over 1,600 government services, and our current focus is on standardising the existing ones, not just adding new services.
Vladimir Putin: You are making it more user-friendly.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Yes, we are creating “life events”. We also have a dedicated project for their development. We currently have 70 such events, with more and more being added every year. Over 72 million people have already used them. This represents stratospheric growth over the past two years – the user base has increased a hundredfold.
By grouping government services into life events, we reduce the number of documents required to obtain a single independent government service (or a service within a life event) by almost 90 percent. Processing times are also reduced by over 80 percent. At present, the average time to receive services within a life event is three days, compared to 16 days for individual government services. The number of visits is falling, people are very satisfied with this, and they are demanding new life events and new digital government services.
Please look at the third slide, which shows the top six life events in demand today. Our traditionally top-ranked service is the comprehensive “Online University Admissions” service. We provided 10 million of these services in 2025. In second place is receiving a tax deduction. Third place – and this is important, as we only launched this life event last year – is retirement. To date, this service has been used 6 million times. Sixth is “Hunting and Fishing”.
Vladimir Putin: People receive certificates about…
Dmitry Grigorenko: Not just certificates.
Vladimir Putin: What else? What can this website do?
Dmitry Grigorenko: From complete guidance on the retirement process, from obtaining a pension certificate and becoming a pensioner, to a full range of benefits, statuses, confirmations, social cards, and so on – it is all available. First, users can find out what they are entitled to. Second, they can apply for everything in one go through the Gosuslugi portal, including registering with all social institutions and the Pension Fund. It really is very convenient.
There is also another important issue which has become a global problem today, namely cyber fraud – fraud conducted via the internet.
Acting on your instructions – you issued the relevant instruction last year – we have been actively engaged in combating cyber fraud, developing a set of measures aimed at tackling it. Looking at the statistics, over the five-year period from 2019 until the end of 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of crimes committed using information technologies has increased 2.5-fold, from 294,000 to 765,000. Accordingly, the scale of the damage has also grown.
Vladimir Putin: Excuse me, so in 2019 it was 294,000 cases, and in 2024 it reached 765,000?
Dmitry Grigorenko: Yes, a 2.5-fold increase. The figures for damage are shown on the next line – these are Interior Ministry statistics. According to Sber, the figures are even higher, although Sber’s data is analytical, whereas the Interior Ministry’s statistics are…
Vladimir Putin: The trend is enormous – almost a fivefold increase.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Last year, together with colleagues from law enforcement agencies, the Interior Ministry and the Central Bank, we conducted joint work; State Duma deputies also actively contributed. We developed a comprehensive package of measures aimed at combating cyber fraud. More than 20 specific measures were proposed; they entered into force on April 1, 2025.
Let me highlight what are probably the most effective measures. There is now an option to impose a self-ban on taking out loans. What is the aim of fraudulent schemes? To obtain access to personal accounts, for example, by stealing passwords, and then to take out a loan in someone else’s name. Now, with a single click, for instance via the Gosuslugi portal, where the relevant service is available, it is possible to prohibit calls from banks and telecom operators via messaging apps, as fraudulent activity typically begins via messaging platforms. The call is made not through a landline, but via a messaging app. This has now been prohibited by law, and people can recognise that if they receive a call through a messaging app, it is most likely fraudulent – callers may, for example, pose as bank employees or representatives of other institutions.
Call labelling has also been introduced; this measure has proven to be in high demand. In practice, when a call is made by an institution or organisation, the screen displays not a string of digits but the name of the organisation. Accordingly, if a call is ostensibly from, say, a local clinic, but the name does not appear on the screen, it is clear that this is likely a fraudulent attempt.
We are also making active use of biometrics. This is a voluntary measure, applied when taking out microloans, setting passwords, and so on. Criminals may obtain passwords and documents through deceptive means, but a person’s biometric data, such as facial recognition, is much harder to steal or falsify. This, too, is therefore a highly effective measure.
Vladimir Putin: What is the Antifraud platform?
Dmitry Grigorenko: Antifraud is a digital platform to which banks, telecom operators and law enforcement agencies can submit information whenever they detect or record fraudulent activity. Any participant can upload such data so that all others are immediately aware they are dealing with a fraudster.
Vladimir Putin: So others can use it to identify a fraudster.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Crucially, telecom operators, law enforcement agencies and banks all see this information straight away. Previously, the problem was that a fraudster would deceive a customer at one bank, then move on to another, which had no idea they were dealing with the same individual, and then to a third. Each case was handled in isolation. The platform allows any participant to flag a suspected fraudster as soon as they are identified.
Vladimir Putin: So it is accessible to all participants.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Yes, and we are continuing to expand it. We are now also developing risk-scenario profiles, where we can predict that an individual is likely to be a fraudster and share that information via the platform. At the same time, it is important to understand that citizens themselves must remain vigilant – this is a set of measures designed to help them avoid being deceived.
Following the first package of measures, the number of crimes committed using ICT fell for the first time – by 12 percent in 2025. Accordingly, the total amount of damage is also declining.
According to survey data, 50 percent of Russians reported a decrease in fraudulent calls, while 92 percent consider call labelling to be a highly effective measure.
Vladimir Putin: The total damage is decreasing.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Yes, for the first time the overall losses are also going down. We have managed to reverse the trend. The services we have introduced, for example, the self-ban on loans, illustrate this well. Since March 2025, 26 million people have activated such a ban. It can be done with a single click and is highly effective. Even if a person is deceived, fraudsters cannot take out a loan in their name because of the ban: loans can only be obtained in person at a bank, which fraudsters cannot do.
Vladimir Putin: A self-ban on issuing new SIM cards as well.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Yes, this is also an option.
Vladimir Putin: Do fraudsters actually obtain SIM cards themselves?
Dmitry Grigorenko: The essence of online fraud is to obtain your personal data – login details, passwords and so on – and then use them to take out a loan or register a SIM card in your name. That SIM card can then be used for identification with a bank, to receive passwords, and so forth. Ultimately, it all comes down to money – either stolen through loan schemes or transferred by the victim themselves. That is why these self-bans are such important tools: people can use them independently, and they are doing so actively.
This [slide] shows how the Antifraud platform operates. We continue to develop it and are working closely with the Central Bank and law enforcement agencies.
We are currently preparing a second package of measures. The bill has passed its first reading, and we are now preparing amendments for the second reading. The key point I would like to highlight is that we want to introduce a so-called red button service on the Gosuslugi portal, which alerts the authorities as soon as a citizen realises they have been scammed. What is the main problem? The victim is on the phone with the fraudster, they hang up, and only then do they realise they have been deceived. Where are they supposed to go? File a complaint? Contact an official? That crucial window of time plays right into the scammers’ hands.
Vladimir Putin: Fraudsters use that time to withdraw money.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Exactly. And what we are proposing is a set of measures whereby pressing the red button on Gosuslugi immediately notifies everyone, including banks and telecom operators, that a scam has taken place.
We also only allow passwords on Gosuslugi to be changed using a verified method.
Vladimir Putin: Could you say a few words about children’s SIM cards?
Dmitry Grigorenko: Children’s SIM cards. We want to give parents the right to purchase appropriate SIM cards, which would allow them to restrict certain content for children accessing the internet on their phones using those SIM cards. That includes blocking access to websites unsuitable for children, as well as restricting calls from unknown numbers, and so on. This is a measure we are proposing for parents. Many telecom operators, by the way, are already offering similar features. We want to formalise this and make it a system-wide approach. It is also very effective, because, unfortunately, children are even easier to deceive than adults.
Vladimir Putin: What about a system for banks and operators to compensate victims for losses?
Dmitry Grigorenko: We are currently discussing this actively with the Central Bank. If information about a fraudster is recorded and available in the information system, the Antifraud platform, and, despite that information, a telecom operator connects a call from the fraudster, resulting in the person being defrauded, or if a bank, knowing that the Antifraud platform contains such information, issues a loan and completes the transaction, then compensation for losses will be automatically assigned to the bank or telecom operator that made the error.
Vladimir Putin: This means we view a bank or telecom operator as a high-risk instrument, a high-risk entity. Similar to a car, where all else being equal, the driver is always at fault.
Dmitry Grigorenko: But here, it is not always the driver’s fault. We provide banks with all the tools and clearly set out in the law the specific circumstances under which this automatic charge applies. We are trying to start with clear-cut cases to create a financial incentive for both banks and telecom operators to protect citizens.
Vladimir Putin: This still needs some refinement, of course. But overall, from the perspective of protecting citizens’ interests, it is fair.
Dmitry Grigorenko: Yes, the balance here is tilted in favour of protecting citizens’ interests.
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