SIMIC

The report comes from London's TT Club's Network Partner in Russia, Panditrans, which reported various methods of fraud which account for 83 per cent of Russian cargo loss.

"In contrast with many other countries, data from our 2020 report highlights that thieves in Russia rely heavily on fraud as a means of accessing cargo," said Panditrans managing director Kiril Berezov.

"The methodologies of criminal organisations are distinct and fall into two primary categories: the driver being diverted by phone to unload at an unauthorised location and the use of fraudulent identities to access cargo. The ingenuity of the fraudsters is remarkable," he said, adding that they have sound knowledge of how the supply chain operates.

Food and beverages made up 28 per cent of losses, making it the highest cargo category affected. Meanwhile, the average value of goods fell 22 per cent indicating a focus on essentials rather than higher-value products.

Metals were the second-largest cargo category, being 13 per cent in 2020 against 24 per cent the previous year.

Said TT Club managing director Mike Yarwood: "Everyone within transport and supply chain service companies needs a degree of knowledge of the risks and how perpetrators of theft operate. "Our report is aimed at providing detailed data but also provides a wealth of guidance on creating this awareness as well as further actions to be taken by operators in avoiding loss and damage to their customers' cargo and their own business reputations," said Mr Yarwood.

Cargo theft in Russia is heavily under-reported as in many other parts of the CIS area and Europe. The accumulated annual losses exceed RUB10 billion (US$130 million) and exhibit a growing trend of producing negative influence on local and international businesses.