Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991 Quotes

“The leather satchel on his right hip holds documents and notebook; the canvas haversack is for supplies”
― Mark Galeotti, Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991

“Under Putin, resources once again began to be allocated to the police, but there was no substantive reform. Instead, it was during the single term in which he retreated to the position of prime minister (as the Russian constitution forbade anyone serving three consecutive terms as president), with his client Dmitry Medvedev as titular president (2008–12), that this process began. A lawyer by training, Medvedev appreciated the problems with Russian law enforcement. He introduced a new Law on the Police in 2011, which not only changed the force’s name back to politsiya, “police,” but also mandated compulsory re-accreditation of all serving officers, with the aim of cutting the size of the force by 22 percent to 1,106,472 officers. At the same time, salaries were to be increased by 30 percent.”
― Mark Galeotti, Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991

“Russia is, after all, the largest country in the world, comprising 83 separate constituent republics and regions, and spanning nine time zones.”
― Mark Galeotti, Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991

“In 1991, not counting the regular police, there had been more than 400,000 internal security troops and paramilitaries across the whole USSR – one for every 700 Soviet citizens, and one for every ten regular soldiers. By 1995 there were some 382,500 security and paramilitary troops in the Russian Federation alone, or one for every 392 citizens.”
― Mark Galeotti, Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991