Creation, Leadership of a Criminal Communities or Criminal Organisations: Police Statistics

Before the full-scale war began, approximately eighty crimes of creating, leading, or participating in a criminal community or criminal organisation were registered each year (Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Thus, in 2017, 88 such crimes were registered, in 2018 – 84 crimes, in 2019 – 68 crimes, and in 2019 – 92 crimes.

However, in 2021, the number of crimes of this type jumped to 173, which was a record high for Ukraine at that time.

The start of the war reduced the number of crimes of this type to 137 in 2022.

However, in 2023, a new record was set, which still stands today, with 206 crimes of creating, leading, or participating in a criminal community or criminal organisation being registered.

The statistics for 2024 remained almost unchanged, with 198 crimes of this type registered during the year.

However, in just six months of 2025, 116 crimes of this type were registered, accounting for 59% of the total number of similar crimes for the whole of 2024.