MOSCOW. June 14 (Interfax) - Over 800 people wanted in Belarus were detained on the territory of Russia in 2016 and in the first quarter of 2017, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said at a unified board meeting of the Interior Ministries of the Union State held in Kazan on Tuesday.
"Hundreds of grave and especially grave crimes were resolved, the activities by dozens of organized groups engaging in criminal auto business, illegal drug and weapons turnover were exposed and curbed. Just in 2016 and the first half of 2017, the Russian police found over 800 accused and determined the fate of some 400 missing persons put on the wanted persons list by the Belarusian Interior Ministry," the Russian Interior Ministry press center quoted the Russian minister as saying.
"Nevertheless, there are some aspects that need close attention. Today we have to discuss them in detail and come up with optimal ways of improving joint work," Kolokoltsev said.
Foreigners and stateless persons committed some 44,000 crimes on the territory of Russia last year, and almost 11,000 crimes were committed in the first quarter of 2017, he said.
Work on the creation of a unified migration space continues: conditions have been provided for mutual trips via internal national documents without passing customs and border control, the press center said.
"However, the transparency of the internal border of the Union State and the differences in the visa regimes [of Russia and Belarus with third countries] increase the risks of undesirable persons infiltrating our territory [Russia]," the report said.