Combating Economic Crimes by the Departments for Combating Theft of Socialist Property in Western Siberia (1970-1980)

Economic crimes have deep historical roots and are related to the peculiarities of human psychology, as well as the shortage of many goods and services in the USSR. Numerous embezzlements and falsifications caused significant damage to the Soviet Union, undermining the country’s defense capabilities. To combat economic crimes, specialized units were established as early as 1937. They actively cooperated with other internal affairs agencies (primarily criminal investigation and investigative units), and widely used agents and public organizations to solve their official tasks.