Despite Russia having more police officers per capita than any other major country—almost twice as many per capita as the European Union and 2.5 times more than the United States—and having a well-earned reputation as a police state, the Russian Federation has long faced a crisis in putting enough policemen on the beat (see EDM , March 11).

According to a new study by the outlet “To Be Precise” ( Yesli Byt’ Tochnym , Если Быть Точным), the situation is rapidly worsening ( Yesli Byt’ Tochnym , October 21). The independent investigative portal says that the number of policemen in Russia has declined by more than nine thousand since the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as poorly paid and overstretched police have left their posts for the army

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