Corruption in Russia is considered a very serious problem, impacting various aspects of life, including the economy, business, politics, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. It hinders economic development, contributes to inequality, and undermines democracy and human rights. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance, and attributed to the general weakness of the rule of law in the country. Transparency International stated in 2022, "Corruption is endemic in Russia", and assigned it the lowest score of any European country in their Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021. It has, under the regime of Vladimir Putin, been variously characterized as a kleptocracy, an oligarchy, and a plutocracy; owing to its crony capitalism economic system.