The Russian journalist said on air of Echo of Moscow radio he had predicted this when the Kremlin launched its efforts to create a “Novorossiya” in 2014 because the absence of the rule of law in the various puppet entities Moscow imposed in the eastern portion of Ukraine would inevitably have an impact on life in Russia itself, according to Euromaidan Press.
The journalist noted that assaults, bank robberies, and stealing have become “almost a daily occurrence. The law isn’t functioning. It still exists to some degree, but its importance has reduced ever more.” And even law enforcement officials acknowledge that they are not able to fight either organized or street crime.
If the country doesn’t change its domestic policies soon, Babchenko continues, it will face “the fate of Somalia.” And while few want to acknowledge it, “the level of criminality in Russia now exceeds the ‘wild 1990s.’”
Read alsoUkraine’s humanitarian envoy: Russia exploring all ways to discredit Minsk process“The current regime doesn’t need security and legal order” because it shares the criminal values claiming the only thing that matters is to get rich by whatever means, according to the report. Law is just another obstacle for them and, when they can, they ignore it or trample upon its principles, the speaker said.
Babchenko is only the latest Russian writer to warn about this. Earlier, Aleksandr Nevzorov said that those who had experienced the lawlessness of the “DPR” and “LPR” represent “a direct threat to Russian citizens” at home, first in the southern regions and then everywhere else, including St. Petersburg.
Russian mercenaries who have fought in Donbas, Nevzorov said, “have gotten a taste for easy money, blood, and opportunities for satisfying their needs.” And they don’t forget this feeling when they return home, the journalist said, adding that this is yet another way Putin’s war in Ukraine is harmful to Russia.
