Shining a Light: Russian Company Updates Anti-Corruption Software for Monitoring Officials’ Ties
Russia’s Kontur.Fokus has updated its Antikor platform, equipping state agencies with new digital tools to identify conflicts of interest and strengthen procurement transparency.
A system built for transparency
With the new upgrade, the Antikor system can now uncover links between contractors and an official’s previous employers—or even organizations where their relatives once worked. Such connections remain visible even years after a person leaves the company. These measures are designed to expose hidden ties between civil servants and vendors in government procurement, where manual checks often fail.
Launching a check in Antikor requires only entering an official’s employment history. Within minutes, the system scans thousands of companies for affiliations, ensuring that conflicts of interest can be flagged even at the application stage. This makes it harder for officials to secretly favor familiar companies in bidding processes, while also preventing them from influencing subsidies or regulatory inspections.
Wide geographic adoption
Antikor is already used in several Russian regions, including Yekaterinburg, Kolomna, Kirov, Nizhny Tagil, Tula Region, Altai Krai, and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Experts say the system makes procurement more transparent, reveals hidden business ties, and reduces corruption risks. It even detects passive business activities of officials: if a civil servant is registered as a sole proprietor or owns a dormant LLC, these details are still included in reports as potential risks under Russian federal laws 25-FZ and 79-FZ.
Toward a gold standard in monitoring
Antikor has the potential to reshape Russia’s procurement market. If successful, the system could be scaled to new industries and eventually become the nationwide standard for monitoring government contracts and personnel ties. Plans are underway for integration with the Unified State Procurement Information System, as well as adding automated conflict-of-interest detection features.
The platform’s simplicity and reliability are driving demand for Russian-made compliance technology. It could even become an exportable solution for countries seeking to digitize oversight processes and reduce corruption risks.
Speed and accuracy drive adoption
Clients already using Antikor value its speed and analytical precision. The system has been in place since 2023, with the recent update marking the next stage of development. This trend aligns with broader transparency reforms.
Since 2008, Russian officials have been required to declare income and assets annually, including those of their spouses and children. In 2011, the government launched the Deklator platform to collect such disclosures. Now, with conflict of interest formally defined in federal law, developers have a strong legal basis for creating new digital oversight tools. As demand grows, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced comprehensive audits of government procurement to ensure compliance with rules on domestic sourcing and national regime requirements.
