Applicant of a crime in the criminal procedural law of the Russian Federation

The procedural status of the applicant for a crime has been the subject of discussions for a long time, the essence of which comes down to determining the need to regulate the status of the applicant as an independent procedural figure and answering the question of whether it is sufficient to extend to the applicant the procedural status of the person whom the applicant will be in the future: a victim, an accused (suspect), a witness. Based on the analysis of various points of view, statistical data and practice, the article concludes that, despite the importance of the figure of the applicant and the need to ensure their safety for the effectiveness of the stage of initiation of a criminal case, it is necessary to extend to them the procedural status of the person whose position he actually occupies, indicating this in the law. The article draws attention to non-procedural measures to ensure the rights of the applicant and their access in criminal proceedings to the protection of their rights.