My latest Moscow News column, Retooling Russia’s Riot Police, is out today. I riff off the responses to the recent UK riots (and in particular to the perceived weakness of the initial police response) to talk a little about Russian public order forces, and why – as usual before elections – they are being strengthened. The OMON, by the way, are not becoming OPON now that the militsiya are the politsiya, but KON: Komanda osobennogo naznacheniya (‘Special Designation Commands’). I plan to discuss the reforms to the public order and security forces here in a few days.
All posts in category Interior Troops (VV)
Good Bye OMON, Hello KON
Posted by Mark Galeotti on August 22, 2011
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/462/
Medvedev’s Police Purge (1): the Ministers
It certainly looks as if Medvedev’s cull of the police is moving apace. The plan under the new Law on the Police was to cut the MVD’s force by 22% and bring it down to a strength of of 1,106,472. As of 1 August, he was able to announce that 183,000 officers had been dismissed and 48,000 more were soon to be cut, for a total reduction of 231,000 or around 17%.
Not bad, but these figures pale into insignificance in comparison with the losses at the top of the command structure. (more…)
Posted by Mark Galeotti on August 3, 2011
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/medvedev%e2%80%99s-police-purge-1-the-ministers/
The latest Russian police reform: the Kremlin is likely to be the only beneficiary
On Thursday 24 December 2009, President Medvedev signed a decree which he said would “enhance the work of the Interior Ministry”, and in particular “specify organisational changes and changes in certain financial and legal issues.” (more…)
Posted by Mark Galeotti on January 1, 2010
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/the-latest-russian-police-reform-the-kremlin-is-likely-to-be-the-only-beneficiary/
Financial crisis puts new pressure on Russian police, but means boom time for security forces
Although Putin made a great play of his commitment to law and order, the emphasis always seemed to be on order more than law. Resources were devoted more to defence and public order, but nonetheless the bonanza of oil and gas revenues did mean that spending on the police picked up, making good some of the deficits created in the 1990s, when successive budget crises left them in a disastrous state. At the same time, a trickle-down of prosperity did help control (if not really reverse) the rise in street crime, while organized crime matured, with real power in the underworld moving from ‘street mafiya’ to ‘suit mafiya’, the age of the overt gangsters known as ‘bandits’ giving way to the behind-the-scenes ‘authorities’ who blended crime, business and politics. This did not mean that organized crime disappeared, but at least it did mean an end to the more violent, indiscriminate days of the 1990s turf wars.
However, the global financial crisis is making its mark in Russia, too. (more…)
Posted by Mark Galeotti on February 7, 2009
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/financial-crisis-puts-new-pressure-on-russian-police-but-means-boom-time-for-security-forces/
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