The websites listed below provide useful facts on Russia as well as contacts and tools for companies operating in Russia:

• International Finance Corporation: Global SME Toolkit
  Guide to sustainable business management practices for SMEs.
• Business Fighting Corruption
  An online resource centre for business on collective action to avoid corruption which contains a guide and resources for partnerships with companies and other stakeholders to fight against corruption.
• CIA World Factbook: Russia Profile
• The World Bank: Russia Data Profile

Sources for Further Reading:

• Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO): Compliance Report 2011.
• Freedom House: Freedom in the World - Russia 2011.
• US Department of State: Investment Climate Statement - Russia 2011.
• Global Integrity: Russia Country Report 2010.
• The Bertelsmann Foundation: Transformation Index - Russia 2010.
• CEFIR: Monitoring of the Administrative Barriers to Small Business Development in Russia 2007.

OECD Anti-Bribery Convention Status:

Invited to join the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions on 25 May 2011, which is a first step towards a signing of the Convention.

This field describes the country's status on the OECD Convention on Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Business Transactions. Please note any declarations and reservations made upon ratification. View the list of signatories to the OECD Convention (Note; Russia does not yet feature on the list). Read more about the OECD Convention.

UNCAC Status: Signed 9 December 2003. Ratified 9 May 2006.

Status on UNCAC Implementation
This field describes the country's status on the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Please note any declarations and reservations made upon ratification. The list of signatories can be found on the UNODC website. Read more about the UNCAC.

Other Relevant Conventions or Treaties:

• Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption. Signed 27 January 1999. Ratified 4 October 2006.
  Read Transparency International's summary and assessment of the convention.
• United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime: Signed 12 December 2000. Ratified 26 May 2004.
  Read Transparency International's summary and assessment of the convention.
• Member of the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) since 1 February 2007.
• Member of the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Transparency CPI: 2011: 143/182 (Score: 2.4)

Transparency CPI
This field consists of the score for the country in question on the Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International as well as its ranking.

World Bank CORR Index (-2.5 - +2.5): 2010: -1.07

World Bank Corruption Index
This field consists of the score for the country in question on the 'Control of Corruption' indicator in the World Bank Governance Research Indicator Country Snapshot (GRICS): 1996-2010.

OECD Country Risk Classification (0-7): 2011: 3

Country Risk Classification
The classification of countries by risk category has the aim of providing OECD countries with a basis for calculating the premium interest rate to be charged to cover the risk of non-repayment of export credits. Countries are placed in risk categories 0 - 7, with 0 being the lowest risk category and thus the least expensive. Conversely, premium group 7 is the highest risk category. Each classification is comprised of 2 components: 1) an assessment of the country's economic/financial situation, and 2) its overall political stability. Access the complete list of OECD Country Risk Classification figures.

Data Verification:

Publication date: November 2011

Data verified by: Global Advice Network