Russian PM vows to defeat corruption despite possible fallout

The latest anti-corruption campaign was the start of hard work to uproot that evil in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday. "This is a start of hard work to uproot corruption in our country and it will not be limited to only heinous cases," Medvedev told reporters from five major TV channels during a 90-minute interview. Answering a question related to the dismissal of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, Medvedev said Russia's anti-corruption fight should affect all tiers of the society, from authorities to the grassroots level. Russia had joined international anti-corruption treaties and there was a social demand to free the country from corruption, he said. "For that a political will is also needed," Medvedev said, adding that the anti-corruption policy should not be seen as prosecution of state officials only. "Otherwise, this would create an impression that those who work for the state services are thieves and could not be trusted, which is untrue," he said. Medvedev admitted that the large-scale anti-corruption campaign could make people wonder if the entire ruling class has clean hands. "These problems could emerge and this is a choice for the authorities, either to retreat or go ahead. I guess we have no other option and must move forward despite someone dislikes it," Medvedev said.