Russian Leader Vows To Fight Corruption

MOSCOW — President Medvedev of Russia is to spearhead a fight against "systemic" corruption and has given officials a month to draw up a plan of action. "The time has come to do something," Mr. Medvedev said in a meeting in Moscow yesterday. "Corruption has become a systemic problem which needs a systemic response."

Mr. Medvedev will head a new anti-corruption council and has ordered a national plan to fight graft to be ready within a month, his chief of staff, Sergei Naryshkin, said in televised comments. Mr. Medvedev told the meeting that the plan would include an overhaul of anti-corruption legislation as well as punitive measures and incentives to dissuade people from corruption.