Another stage of the consolidation of the Russian law enforcement system?

Abstract:

On 19 September 2016, the Kommersant daily newspaper published an article entitled ‘Ministry of extraordinary powers’. The article is a controlled leak, suggesting a large-scale reorganisation of the Russian law enforcement system.

A Ministry of National Security is to be established already before the presidential election in 2018. It will be in charge of the Federal Security Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Protective Service. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation will again be made part of the Prosecutor General’s Office. The Ministry of Emergency Situations will be liquidated, and its responsibilities will be taken over by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Presidential Security Service will remain an independent structure. According to Kommersant, the reorganisation will be preceded by a staff reshuffle among the heads of the existing services.