Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Pressures from the war in Ukraine are reportedly contributing to a massive staff shortage in Russia's internal security forces. The Interior Ministry is said to be short of 152,000 staff. As a result, it is reportedly "paralysed" and unable to do its job of fighting crime. ⬇️

2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports that Interior Ministry head Vladimir Kolokoltsev recently told Russia's Federation Council (the Russian legislature's upper house) that his ministry was short of 152,000 personnel. This figure had increased by 150% in the last 6 months.

3/ This follows reports last year about tens of thousands of vacancies in the Ministry of the Interior (MVD), with many policemen and other security personnel quitting to find better prospects elsewhere. The situation appears to have got worse since then.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1708449949145341972

4/ According to an Interior Ministry source, this is due to a combination of cumbersome recruitment processes, competition from the military due to better salaries being offered to go and fight in Ukraine, and a steady exodus of demoralised employees.

5/ New employees must pass a military-medical examination and obtain various pieces of paperwork for employment (presumably for vetting purposes), which takes 6 months. Once they join, they must undergo 6 months of training. It therefore takes a year for them to be operational.

6/ Many employees have quit to go to much better-paid jobs fighting for the Russian army in Ukraine. Even better-paid employees in senior roles such as heads of departments and divisions are said to be "at a low starting point" compared to the military.

7/ Excessive bureaucracy and mismanagement within the MVD are also cited as factors. According to VChK-OGPU's source, the flow of resignations increased after it became clear that Kolokoltsev would be staying in his position.

8/ "The reason for this is the fact that [the MVD's] work is completely paralysed, employees are puzzled by tasks unfamiliar to them, as well as instead of a real fight against crime there is paperwork, assignments, checks, and reports."

9/ The Interior Ministry's problems illustrate how the pressures of the war in Ukraine are hollowing out other elements of the Russian state. As previously reported, the result has been a rise in crime, with many serious offences including rape and murder going unsolved. /end

Source:
t.me/vchkogpu/48292