Russia's Transit Surveillance System Helps Locate Thousands of Criminals and Missing Persons

The AI-powered Sphere platform in Moscow’s public transportation system is becoming a critical tool for law enforcement and public safety.

Since its rollout on September 1, 2020, Moscow’s video analytics system Sphere has identified nearly 17,000 wanted criminals and 2,000 missing persons. The figures were shared by Moscow Deputy Mayor for Transport Maksim Liksutov, as reported by Interfax.

Cameras installed in metro and surface transit scan passengers' faces and match them against law enforcement databases. When a match is found, an alert is sent to police, who respond in real time.

The system can recognize virtually all passengers, regardless of age or height. At the same time, data from law-abiding citizens remains anonymous.

Sphere is part of a larger digital transformation initiative across Russia’s transport sector. It uses artificial intelligence to analyze images, dramatically speeding up the identification of dangerous individuals and missing people. The system’s success underscores its role in boosting public safety.

Russia continues to expand its video surveillance capabilities, making public transportation not just more efficient, but also safer for everyone.