The new mobile application will reportedly include AI features and allow real-time reporting of suspected scams

Russia will start developing a mobile application with artificial intelligence tools aimed at protecting citizens from cyber fraud, Deputy Digital Minister Aleksandr Shoytov has said.

Speaking at the Positive Hack Days cybersecurity forum in Moscow on Friday, Shoytov stated that work on the app would begin in June as part of a broader national anti-fraud platform. The pilot will run through the end of the year, with full certification and nationwide rollout scheduled for early 2026.

The app will include features such as real-time alerts about suspected fraud attempts and a 'panic button' that users could press if they believe they are being targeted.

"Citizens will be able to report any type of fraud directly through the app," Shoytov said, adding that it will be integrated with banking and other digital services.

The system will form part of a government information platform under a law enacted in March, and will involve cooperation between the central bank, Interior Ministry, commercial banks, and the Digital Development Ministry.

More than 765,000 cybercrimes have been registered in Russia so far in 2025, with fraud accounting for roughly half, according to Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev. He said on Friday that cybercrime has grown sharply in recent years - from just one-seventh of all recorded offenses five years ago to 40% today.

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Authorities say most scam operations originate from Ukraine, where call centers allegedly tied to foreign intelligence services are active. The operations are designed to extract money from Russian citizens through phone and online fraud. Statistics show that one in four fraud victims is a pensioner.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously described phone scams as a key tactic employed by Kiev against Moscow, suggesting it had become a state policy.