Bitter figures of Russia

· Analytics, Moscow, Nakhodka, Russia, Siberia

32% of Russians believe that a person’s fate can be influenced by magic, 58% do not believe in magic and sorcery, and 10% are undecided. In cities and villages, residents believe in magic to roughly the same extent. Only in Moscow do 74% of those surveyed not believe in any occult sciences.

For a population of 140 million Russians, there are 3 million FSB and other secret service personnel (not counting secret agents), about 3 million police officers and prosecutors, and only 1 million military personnel.

The territory of the Russian Federation is 17,075,400 sq. km, of which more than 45% is located beyond the Arctic Circle, in the zone of permafrost and polar night; the length of the state border is 58,322 km; the total number of populated localities is 157,895, of which more than 30,000 still have no telephone connection, and over 39,000 have no inhabitants. Most of the abandoned villages and settlements are in the Central Federal District, the Northwest, Siberia, the Far North, and the Far East.

The total population of Russia, according to the latest data, is, according to various estimates, approximately 132,000,000–140,000,000 people.
Of these, 74% (97,680,000) live in cities and urban-type settlements, specifically:
in Moscow (11,550,000), in the Moscow region (7,100,000) — 18,700,000 people,
in St. Petersburg (4,850,000), in the Leningrad region (1,700,000) — 6,600,000 people.
(not counting illegal foreign migrants)

Of the total population:

64% are people of retirement and pre-retirement age — 84,480,000
unemployed (according to Rosstat) — 5,780,000
full-time employees of the FSB, FSO, FPS, SVR, FAPSI, etc. — 2,964,000
full-time employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Internal Troops, Ministry of Justice, and Prosecutor’s Office — 2,746,000
clerks of pension, social, insurance and other funds — 2,439,000
army personnel, including contract servicemen, extended service personnel, civilian employees, personnel of auxiliary and attached enterprises — 2,127,000 (of which soldiers and officers about 1 million)
employees of other federal ministries and agencies — 1,985,000
customs, tax and other inspection workers, etc. — 1,957,000
staff of government structures including deputies — 1,870,000
organized crime groups and prisoners — 1,857,000
officials of licensing, controlling and registration bodies — 1,741,000
Foreign Ministry apparatus and state institutions abroad (UN, UNESCO, etc.) — 797,000
clergy and service personnel of religious and cult buildings — 692,000

Total: 111,435,000 people who produce nothing and exist at the expense of the budget and the solvent part of the population.

That leaves 20,565,000 people. And that is our everything.
All the small, medium, and farming business class together with sole proprietors (PBOYuL) and “shuttle traders”.

Which, by the way, also includes young children, schoolchildren, students, housewives, homeless children, homeless people, forced migrants, refugees, etc., etc., etc.

This partly explains the fact that Russia’s GDP is not much larger than the economic output of Los Angeles County, USA.

Only 20% of the country’s population consider the situation in Russia calm and prosperous.
More than half of citizens (51%25) are convinced that Russia is on the wrong path, and only 38% of those surveyed say they believe in the correctness of the course.
18% of respondents called their material situation good, 54% considered it difficult but tolerable, 24% stated that “it is impossible to endure any longer.”
14% hope for an improvement in their material situation in the future,
22% believe it will only worsen.
24% of Russians are ready to participate in mass protest actions.
19% are ready to take part in strikes.
64% of those surveyed disapprove of the government’s activities.

92% of officers in the Russian army are openly and frankly disloyal to the authorities.
And this is not surprising, since 99% of officers of the RF Armed Forces come from orphanages and have never had any housing of their own. The war for officers’ apartments, which the Ministry of Defense has been waging on all fronts since Soviet times, can have no other explanation.
This also explains the passion of Russian generals, of whom there are over 1,500 in the Ministry of Defense, for building personal cottages, modestly called dachas. The number of conscripts engaged in this important defense process is the army’s main military secret.
About 2,000 convicted officers serve in the Russian armed forces.
By 2015, the majority of soldiers and officers in the Russian army will be Muslims.

In 2005, in the military sphere alone, misappropriation of budget funds in the amount of 19 billion rubles was revealed. The data for 2006, just in case, were classified.

As a result of crimes and incidents in the Russian army over the past year, 2,464 servicemen died. Of these, 469 committed suicide. The military does not release data on bodily injuries resulting from hazing.

Conscription service costs soldiers’ parents a great deal of money. Human rights activists claim that a peculiar tariff has been developed in units: discharge — 1–2 thousand rubles, entry into the unit — 50 rubles, plus 500–800 rubles a month so that the “grandfathers” don’t beat you. Both senior soldiers, sergeants, and officers take money. As a result, parents of young men face a difficult choice: pay 5,000 dollars to buy their way out of the army, or spend more than 10,000 on the service itself, and with the risk of losing their son’s health.

Over the period from August 1999 to June 2006, in Chechnya alone, according to the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers, at least 17,500 servicemen died. The number of wounded who became disabled is easy to calculate based on the standard military ratio of 1 to 5.
Note that the militants killed during the “operation” (who, incidentally, were also mostly Russian citizens) are counted separately, and that is another 15,800 people. Only the killed.

In early 2006, the sociological firm Globescan surveyed 39,435 people in 33 countries. The list of least popular countries in the world was topped by Iran, the USA, and Russia.
Of all countries, Russia is least popular in Finland (65% negative ratings), France (62%25), Poland (56%25), the United Kingdom (50%25), and South Korea (48%25).
Russia is viewed most favorably in Nigeria (55% of respondents).

There are 257 public toilets in Moscow and 275 in Saint Petersburg, i.e., one toilet per 22,000 residents, not counting tourists. And they all close at seven in the evening.
(In ancient Rome there were 144 public toilets.)

In 2005, 16,000 people in Moscow were injured by stray dog bites. In Kazan, stray dogs mauled three people to death in a single week.

A network of Chinese restaurants in Moscow has been shut down, where meat from killed stray dogs was served as lamb. Chinese cooks killed dogs right in the restaurant, butchered them, and served them to “their own” as a delicacy, and to Russian customers as lamb. The production was waste-free: soups were made from the dogs’ innards.
According to official (unpublicized) data, at the beginning of 2004, more than 4 million Chinese were permanently residing in Russia.

In Russia, over 20,000,000 people profess Islam and officially consider themselves Muslims, whereas true Orthodox Christians account for no more than 4.5%, which is no more than 6 million people. Over the past 15 years, the number of Muslims in Russia has increased by 40%.
More Azerbaijanis live in Moscow than in Baku, and more Tatars than in Kazan.
By the middle of the century, at least every fourth Russian will be a Muslim.
Muslim leaders are calling for the removal of Orthodox symbols from Russia’s coat of arms. If the number of Muslims continues to grow at current rates, the Muslim community may raise the issue of introducing a vice-presidential post in the country held by a Muslim.
Perhaps with an eye on that very situation, Vladimir Putin proposed to the member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that Russia be admitted.

In Russia, there are over 1,000 organized crime figures on record, including about 200 individuals who identify themselves as so-called “thieves-in-law.” The largest numbers of “vory v zakone” live in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Leningrad, and Tver regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories.

According to the Internal Security Directorate of the Main Department of Internal Affairs for Saint Petersburg, the number of criminal cases opened against police officers has increased ninefold since 2004. About 35% of crimes committed by police officers are common criminal offenses, primarily robberies.

In addition, Russia has, officially registered alone:
— disabled people — over 12,000,000
— alcoholics — over 3,580,000
— drug addicts — over 870,000
— mentally ill — 978,000
— tuberculosis patients — about 370,000
— people with hypertension — over 22,400,000
— HIV-infected — at least 960,000, of whom more than 85,000 in Saint Petersburg.
Every day, over 30 new people join the list of AIDS carriers in St. Petersburg.
Analysts forecast that in 2010 there will be 8 million AIDS patients in Russia, which will cause a slowdown in economic growth (by 4.15% by 2010 and 10% by 2020) and a decrease in investment (by 5.5% by 2010 and 14.5% by 2020).

Russia ranks second in the world for the prevalence of counterfeit medicines.
93% of medicines sold through over-the-counter pharmacies are counterfeited and do not meet expiration dates. Usually, tablets contain less active ingredient than declared, or are “dummies” where the medicine is replaced with chalk and starch.
Russia sells 300 million EUR worth of counterfeit medications every year.

Roszdravnadzor has begun work on amendments to the law “On Medicinal Products” that would allow clinical trials of drugs on children. Under current law, clinical studies of the effects of medical products on minors are not permitted in Russia.

In 2007, Russia dropped sharply in the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by the international organization Transparency International. Last year it was 126th, and this year it is already 143rd, sharing its position with Gambia, Indonesia, and Togo. The World Bank’s “Doing Business” ranking, which measures business conditions in various countries, is closely related to this study. In the Doing Business 2008 ranking, Russia is in 106th place, ahead only of Tajikistan. Russia also occupies one of the last places in the “licensing as a business-friendliness condition” indicator — 177th out of 178, ahead only of Eritrea.

The real level of corruption in Russia outweighs the effect of economic development. And it will not get easier, since over 2006 the legislative bodies grew by 2 percent, the judiciary by 3.8 percent, and the executive branch expanded by 20.4 percent. The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision grew by a factor of 176 in a year, from 116 to 20,469 people. Rosstat itself grew by 1.4 percent — by the end of the year it employed 23,796 people.

From 1993 to 2006, net capital outflow from Russia amounted to more than 190 billion USD.
In 2005, this figure was $14.8 billion, compared to $9.2 billion in 2002.
In the first half of 2006 alone, about $12 billion left Russia for abroad.
In October 2007 alone, authorized banks exported $2.6 billion in foreign currency in cash from the Russian Federation, which is 2.1 times more than in September 2007; the balance of foreign currency cash transfers without opening an account amounted to $1 billion in October.
This year, net capital outflow is expected to be $24 billion, but due to the growing number of situations similar to the YUKOS case, it is very likely to significantly exceed expectations.

Russia’s gold and foreign currency reserves have reached another record high — 356.6 billion dollars. Over the past week, reserves increased by more than 10 billion dollars.
In the first nine months of 2007, Russians exchanged 6.9 billion dollars, compared to 4.7 billion exchanged a year earlier.

Vodka retail sales (212 million decaliters) in 2006 turned out to be 80% higher than the volume legally shipped from factories (135 million decaliters), while excise taxes on ethyl alcohol were paid on only 84.6%.

The latest fashion among the Russian business elite is buying apartments and houses in the English capital. They buy them for themselves, for offspring studying in England, and also for renting out. In 2004, every 15th house sold in London was bought by Russians.
According to a study by Knight Frank, in 2000 Russians bought houses and apartments in England for a sum exceeding 93 million pounds; in 2004, the sum rose to 396 million. In 2006, they already spent 799 million pounds, bringing the total, counting from 2000, to 2.2 billion pounds, which roughly equals the value of all housing in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, or Merthyr Tydfil, West Wales.
Property sold for less than 1 million pounds is not included.
Helicopter charter companies report a shortage of machines and pilots caused by demand from Russian clients.

Cosmetic repairs carried out in the State Duma building before the start of the parliamentary session cost 5 million rubles.
The privileges of the people’s servants, including the use of about 600 thousand cars, are estimated at around 1.5 billion pounds sterling.

By the end of 2006, local self-government bodies (excluding security agencies) employed 1.58 million people, 7.9% more than at the end of 2005. Officials in St. Petersburg have a higher average salary (34,722 rubles) than those in Moscow (30,600 rubles).

According to the results of an Audit Chamber inspection, as of December 29, 2003, the federal property register recorded only 3% of federal property abroad. The value of these 3% exceeds $21 million. Meanwhile, real estate with a book value of $2.6 billion remains unaccounted for, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Railways, and other agencies.

Russia has over 160 regulatory agencies that can come to inspect you. Some of them (the Prosecutor’s Office, the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, customs) have the right to initiate and investigate criminal cases and conduct operational-investigative activities.

In 2003, decisions of the qualification collegium removed 68 judges from office, and 220 were brought to disciplinary responsibility. In 2005, 4 federal judges were sentenced to lengthy terms of actual imprisonment.

The annual volume of bribes in courts reaches 210 million dollars; Russia ranks 43rd in judicial system corruption. Similar indicators are found in Venezuela, Chile, Congo, Morocco, and Senegal. The average size of a judicial bribe is 9,570 rubles.

Courts rank fifth in the rating of corrupt sectors. Only higher education institutions, free medical care, military conscription, and obtaining housing are worse. Russians annually give up to $3 billion in bribes in various authorities.

But let us return to the population. Russia has given up on demographics.
It is impossible to conduct a detailed analysis of the demographic situation and understand the causes of the declining birth rate: from 1997 to this day, the collection of the most basic statistical indicators has not been restored.
Various forecasts agreed that the growth in the number of births should have continued at least until 2010, but this did not happen.
In 79 Russian regions, birth rates decreased, in 60 death rates increased. Over the first nine months of 2006, the number of deaths increased by 18,600 people, and the number of births decreased by 36,300 people compared to the same period last year. Seven out of ten pregnancies among Russian women end in abortion.

The average life expectancy of a Russian man is 59 years, while women manage to reach 72. As early as 2001, Russia ranked 100th in life expectancy, already hopelessly lagging behind the top ten developed countries: Russian men died 15–19 years earlier, and women 7–12 years earlier. Now we have slipped to the “honorable” 122nd place in the world, alongside countries like Guyana and North Korea, which is not surprising given the average monthly salary of 4,522 rubles and the official subsistence minimum of 2,293 rubles, for pensioners 1,747 rubles, for children – 2,259 rubles (Goskomstat data, 2005).
The number of Russian souls with incomes below this level is 42,200,000.
According to Rosstat, the cost of the minimum food basket in the capital increased by 6.6% in 2006 and amounted to 1,742 rubles. In St. Petersburg it rose by 8.8% and stands at 1,579 rubles. Life is cheapest in Chuvashia at 1,184 rubles, and most expensive in Chukotka – 4,390 rubles.

The average pension size across Russia is 3,300 rubles. The maintenance of one prisoner in a strict-regime colony is 6,800 rubles.

The volume of loans issued to the population over eight months of this year amounted to 2.8 trillion rubles. The share of overdue debt on bank loans increased from 2.6% to 3.3% as of January 1, 2007. As of September 1, 2007, it reached 92 billion rubles.

Despite the fact that bank deposits currently yield at most 12% annual income, 20% of the population keeps their savings precisely in banks. 16% of citizens keep money under the mattress, and over 60% of the population have no savings at all because, according to Rosstat, the average per capita income in February of this year was only 8,092 rubles.

The number of poor people in Russia, according to official data, had fallen to 27.456 million, or 20.8% of the population, by the end of the first half of 2006.
However, there remains a high level of income inequality between rich and poor segments of the population. In 2006, this indicator reached 16.9 times, compared to 15 times in 2005.
For every 1,000 working-age Russians, there are more than 600 people of non-working age.
And one more thing: Russia officially has more than 2 million orphans.

According to the Rosgosstrakh Center for Strategic Research, 160,000 people in Russia have an annual income of over $1 million, and 440,000 families have an annual income of over $100,000.

Every minute in Russia, 5 people die, while only 3 are born. That is, mortality exceeds natality by an average of 1.8 times, and in certain regions by 2–3 times.

Every year, Russia loses in population the equivalent of a whole oblast, roughly equal to Pskov Oblast, a republic like Karelia, or a large city such as Krasnodar.
Over the last decade, the population in the Far East has shrunk by 40%, and in the Far North by 60%. In Siberia, 11,000 villages and 290 towns have disappeared in recent years.
Mortality from cardiovascular diseases and circulatory system illnesses alone exceeds 1,400,000 people.
Every year, 270,000 people die in Russia because of tobacco use. Almost 70% of men and more than 30% of women smoke.
26,000 children in Russia do not live to the age of 10; 50 infants die every day, 70% of them in maternity wards.

Ambulance substations in Ulyanovsk are on the verge of catastrophe: vehicles are fueled on credit, 70% of cars are worn-out. In Omsk, due to untimely arrival of crews, 50–60 patients die every month, and in Vladimir Oblast, callers are openly told: “We do not respond to people over 70.”

Roszdrav plans to discharge for outpatient treatment, i.e. to their homes, 750,000 “socially non-dangerous” mentally ill people. The police are bracing for an increase in work.

Russia is aging: the average age of the country’s residents is 37.7 years. The number of children under 16 has sharply decreased. The average Russian family consists of two to three people.
There is little hope for population growth, although, despite 8 million abortions annually, there is still a birthrate in Russia, and it amounts to as much as 0.3% (402,000 people) per year. However, in all regions of Russia, except Dagestan and Ingushetia, birthrates are below the natural reproduction line.

According to the UN, by the middle of the 21st century, Yemen’s population will exceed that of Russia.

Incidentally, if the current, raw-material-based path of development is maintained, Russia simply does not need more than 70–80 million people.

In Russia, 30% of children are born out of wedlock. Ten years ago, 14.6% of children were born outside marriage, and by 2003 that figure had doubled.
An amusing detail: in Russia, there are 65,000 more married women than married men.

Nevertheless, Russia’s population is steadily shrinking not only due to “natural population decline,” as officials delicately put it.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, the actual crime level in Russia is three times higher than the statistical one. In 2004, 1,000,246 crimes remained unsolved, including 5,635 murders.
For criminal reasons, over 150,000 people lose their lives every year. (official Interior Ministry statistics)
In road traffic accidents, of which there were 189,000 in Russia last year, about 35,000 people die annually, and the number of wounded exceeds 215,000.
Damage from car crashes for 2005 amounted to 243 billion rubles. The increase in these grim indicators is about 16% per year.

The new Interior Ministry uniform will cost 34,000 rubles per set, which is twice as expensive as the current attire of police officers. Troops of the internal forces will receive a blue uniform instead of the green one. The uniform production will be handled by the St. Petersburg special clothing factory “Trud,” owned by the former head of the Baltika brewing company, Taimuraz Bolloev. In total, one-third of the Interior Ministry staff—about 870,000 people—are to be re-outfitted. The total cost of the matter is 29,580,000,000 rubles. Almost 10 million elderly people could have been paid a one-time supplement equal to the average pension.

The terrorist seizure of the theater complex on Dubrovka lasted 57 hours.
On live broadcast across all TV channels.
Of the 912 hostages, 48 died during the assault, and 73 died in buses and hospital reception areas due to the lack of medical care.
For the storming of “Nord-Ost,” 57 awards were given, including 5 Hero of Russia stars.
One star each went to fighters from the “Alpha” and “Vympel” groups who took part in the operation.
Stars also went to FSB generals V. Pronichev and A. Tikhonov.
The fifth star went to the chemist who released gas into the seized building.
The Order of Courage was awarded to Joseph Kobzon.
50 commemorative “Nord-Ost” badges were given to members of the Moscow Government.
With the wording: “For empathy.”

According to the Emergencies Ministry, about 300,000 fires occur in Russia annually, killing around 20,000 people and injuring over 12,000. Daily material damage averages 17.2 million rubles.
At least 40,000 people die every year from consuming low-quality alcohol.

Russia holds first place in the world for intentional homicides — 21.5 per 100,000 population. Almost 75% of intentional murders, about 80% of hooliganism, and up to 75% of rapes occur between 6 p.m. and midnight.
In 2005, 30,800 murders and attempted murders were registered; 18,000 people died from inflicted grave injuries; 14,000 lost their lives in criminal road traffic accidents; 15,000 died in fires; 20,000 people disappeared without a trace; and over 40,000 unidentified corpses were discovered. In total, 137,800.
In 2006, 140,000 criminal deaths were recorded. To that, 58,000 suicides can be added.

The overall crime detection rate in St. Petersburg is the lowest in the country — 60%. The worst situation is with the detection of grave and especially grave crimes — only 23%.

By number of prisoners per 100,000 population, Russia ranks second in the world (605) after the United States (710). It is followed by Kazakhstan (598) and Belarus (505).

In Russia, 58,000 suicides and about 40,000 murders are committed annually.
The number of people voluntarily taking their own lives rises sharply in early spring.
High-risk suicide groups include conscripts (up to 70% of all suicides in the army occur in the first year of service), prisoners (60% of all suicides within the first three months and in the last months before release), retired officers, and pensioners.
According to the Social Security Agency, the youth suicide rate in Russia is 53 per 100,000 population.

On the territory of Russia, 12 to 14 million foreign citizens reside, of whom over 8.8 million do not have legal status. Recently, the inflow of illegal migrants has shown a positive trend, becoming a state policy to compensate for depopulation. At the same time, according to Roskomstat, there are over 6 million jobless own citizens and over 4 million homeless in the country.

The state program envisioned enabling 300,000 people to return to their homeland from the far and near abroad. Specifically, 50,000 in the current year, 100,000 and 150,000 in 2008 and 2009. The state budget allocated 4.5 billion rubles for the project, plus funds from the regions participating in the program. To date, 252.3 million rubles have been spent.
The result — in 2007, only… 400 compatriots moved back to Russia.

In 2004, 49,821 foreigners were expelled from Moscow, twice as many as in 2003.
According to the Russian Interior Ministry (MVD RF), since the beginning of 2004, foreigners have committed over 41,000 crimes in Russia, 20.6% more than in 2003. Most are related to the use of forged documents (27.6%25); thefts account for 17.9%, drug trafficking for 10.5%; robberies, fraud, and muggings are also recorded.

The greatest criminal activity in Russia is displayed by citizens of CIS countries, who account for over 92% of crimes. In particular, Ukrainian citizens committed 18.9% of the total number of crimes in 2004, Tajikistani — 16.1%, Uzbekistani — 12.6%. Among citizens of non-CIS countries, criminals from China, India, and Vietnam are particularly active.

Every year, 87 million rubles of budget funds are spent on sterilizing stray animals in Moscow. That’s 13,000 rubles per dog. 27 million rubles more than on homeless children. A little over 60 million rubles was allocated for the prevention of child homelessness.

More than 70% of teenagers in our country suffer from chronic diseases.
According to the Russian Ministry of Health (Minzdrav), 16% of Russian schoolchildren have tried drugs at least once, another 8% of school students are at risk, and 3.1% of schoolchildren are drug-dependent.
Last year, 178 schoolchildren died of drug overdoses in Russia.
As for students, 30% have used drugs, 20% are at risk, and 4.8% are drug-dependent.

Russia holds first place in the world for the number of smoking children and teenagers.
According to the World Health Organization, 33% of children and teenagers in Russia are regular smokers and already suffer from chronic diseases by adulthood.

496 people passed the Unified State Exam with the maximum score of 100 points, which is 0.05% of the 830,415 students who took the USE.
Two million Russian teenagers cannot read.

In 2003, due to non-compliance with fire safety standards, 13,000 schools were closed in Russia. This decision was made by the Emergency Situations Ministry (MChS) following inspections of over 150,000 schools. Rural schools, most of which were built soon after the Great Patriotic War, are the most fire-hazardous. According to Sergei Shoigu, about 30% of schools fall into this category.

Over the past 35 years, more than 30 million people have left Russia (data from the Russian Foreign Ministry). 3 million people have legally entered the country, mostly from the republics of the former USSR.
Every year, under immigration programs, refugee resettlement, and family reunification, from Russia
56,000 people leave for the United States.
17,000, despite everything, choose Israel.
12,000 is the quota for Australia.
9,000 are carefully chosen by Germany.
7,500 prefer Canada.
5,800 marry foreigners and also, for some reason, leave.
Total: ?107,300 people per year, the most educated, business-minded, and active.
And these are purely official figures, the number of applications for permanent residence processed. And who counts those who leave on guest invitations, student and work visas?

According to expert estimates, about 20,000 Russian scientists work for EU countries while remaining staff members of Russian state scientific institutions, mostly ‘classified’ ones.

According to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the IBM corporation, over the past year, in terms of information technology use, Russia has slipped from 48th to 55th place among 64 of the largest economies.
Only 2% of Russian families have access to the Internet, spending on scientific research and development amounts to 1% of GDP, and personal computer penetration in the country is only 13%.

Russia tops the ‘black list’ of countries dangerous for air travel. Civilian aircraft flights in Russia and CIS countries end in disasters twice as often as in Africa, and 13 times more often than the global average.

Russia ranks third in the world in number of scientific researchers per 1 million population — 3,494 people. Among the top five, only Norway — 4,377 and Sweden — 5,186 have better indicators.
However, Internet users in Russia per 1,000 population number 40.6, while in those same Norway and Sweden they are 502.6 and 573.1. In Jamaica — 228.4.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is an integral indicator used to determine a country’s level of development.
In this ranking, Russia holds 57th place out of 177 with an index of 0.795, slotting into the gap between Bulgaria and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

In the Heritage Foundation’s ranking of world economies by level of freedom, 155 nations are listed. Hong Kong’s economy is recognized as the freest in the world, while North Korea’s is the least free. Estonia saw unexpected success—its economy landed in 4th place. Russia ranks 124th, ahead of Romania and Cameroon but behind Indonesia and Rwanda.

Reporters Without Borders considers the situation with press freedom to be the worst in North Korea (168th place), Turkmenistan (167th), and Eritrea (166th).
Belarus is in 151st place, Russia in 147th.

Global oil production peaked in 2006—much earlier than many experts expected. In the future, output will decline by 7% per year. Currently, about 81 million barrels of oil are produced per day. Experts from the Energy Watch Group believe that by 2030 this figure will drop to 29 million.

According to analysts at the Massachusetts Crisis Center, controlling Russia’s territory with a population of fewer than 50 million people is physically impossible, because population density in that case would be less than 2.9 people per square kilometer. For comparison, Germany’s population density is 235 people per sq. km, and the USA’s is 26.97.
Considering all the above, it is not hard to imagine that Russia could find itself in that situation in as soon as 3–5 years.

Perhaps that is why Russian politicians so readily promise their voters anything at all—but only in ten years. There will be no one left to ask. After all, at today’s extraction rates, the exploited reserves of oil, uranium, copper, and gold will be exhausted in 2015, and gas in 20–25 years at most.
Mostly the forests will remain. The only question is, who will be around to cut them down…

Then again, only 8,700,000 people in Russia hold international passports.

Respondents were asked to choose the most significant political events from a list. The Sychev case came first, the elimination of Basayev second, and the killings of Kozlov, Politkovskaya, and Litvinenko third. Citizens are not interested in other events.

37% of Russians consider Yevgeny Petrosyan their favorite variety performer.

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Any possible negative emotions or hostility can be easily relieved by watching television programs such as “Anshlag,” “Vremya,” “Krivoye Zerkalo,” “Selsky Chas,” and similar.

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