MOSCOW, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Corruption charges were brought against more than 800 senior officials from Russia's federal and regional governments in the first nine months of last year, Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said on Tuesday.

    In an interview published by the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily on Tuesday, Chaika said Russia has taken a tougher line against corruption recently, noting that 806 corruption cases were handled from January to September in 2009.

    Chaika said the clampdown on corruption is not only the concern of the administration but also requires efforts from the public.

    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has made fighting corruption one of his top priorities since taking office in May 2008. A package of anti-corruption laws came into force in December 2008.