The Russian government is hiring vigilantes of a ‘strong and athletic build’ to patrol the streets of Moscow under a project titled ‘Safe Capital’ according to Russian newspaper, Kommersant. The project is set to start either by early June and will see patrols made up of three or four ‘volunteers’ that they are getting from private military firms who will patrol one night a week.
The mercenaries are being brought in with the aim of tackling petty crime, drug sales, illegal parking and unspecified violations. Once rolled out it will initially be limited to between 500 and 700 volunteers and United Russia, the party currently in power, haven’t ruled out using them to monitor opposition rallies.
They will don a uniform that clearly identifies them as a member of United Russia and will be given a ‘crime map’ that highlights areas worst affected by various crimes. The most recognizable member of United Russia is the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, who is a former head of the party. The Russian paper goes into detail before identifying the face of the Moscow-based campaign. “The face of ‘safe capital’ will be the head of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Security, Inna Svyatenko,” Kommersant reported. The new task force is being implemented under the guide that they will be working alongside the police force currently in the Russian capital.
