Press Release, 27.03.2024

Photo: Oleg Baranov, head of the Moscow Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia / Photo by the Moscow City Duma

Oleg Baranov, head of the Moscow police, at the annual report on the work to the Moscow City Duma, promised the Yabloko faction to assist in the work on issues voiced by the faction leader Maxim Kruglov.

It should be noted that that the head of the Moscow police Oleg Baranov spoke at the Moscow City Duma with an annual report on the performance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2023.  Baranov received 15 questions from factions in the Moscow City Duma and 50 questions from deputies. The answers to the questions were preceded by a report in the form of a video film, which this year was not available for viewers of the stream of the meeting.

Answering a question from the head of the Yabloko faction, Maxim Kruglov, about the beating of Moscow resident Vasily Tkach, who was detained in Sochi, Baranov objected that Tkach “could have absolutely calmly stated that he had suffered some kind of harm or physical impact, but he did not at any stage”. Nevertheless, Baranov noted that the police carried out an investigation into what had happened, the results of which were sent to the investigative committee for a decision.

Commenting on Maxim Kruglov’s message about the unlawful demands of employees of the Moscow migration departments for international passport applicants to present a military ID and a certificate from the military registration and enlistment office, the head of the Moscow police promised to look into it and, if necessary, make changes to the regulations for processing documents. It was decided to work on this issue privately.

Oleg Baranov explained the problem with unsolved crimes of removing memorial plaques from the walls of houses of the civil project “The Last Address” by the fact that the Moscow video surveillance system had a limited storage period for information. The signs  had been installed since 2016, while the authorities began establishing the facts of the presence of the signs on the walls only in 2022. The head of the Moscow police said that thus it was impossible to establish when and who stole the signs. However, there were cases when police officers refused to even view video footage in a cases of removed plaques. An official investigation has been ordered into this fact.

Speaking from the Yabloko faction following the results of the report and answers to questions from the head of the Moscow police, deputy Maxim Kruglov noted that Oleg Baranov’s decision not to reschedule his report in the context of the recent terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall and speak in person deserves respect. The Moscow police really have to work largely in extreme conditions, Kruglov noted. At the same time, in 2023, the Yabloko faction received many complaints from citizens about excessive police actions against detainees, cases of the use of excessive force and beatings.

“Who is detained by the police? The one who uses the icon of Instagram and Facebook social networks, banned in Russia, on the Internet. The one who writes about his opinion, his position. All the power of the Moscow police is directed against them. We have seen that this is not the threat to our country; that is not the place where terrorists can be found,” deputy Kruglov said.

It should be noted that the head of the Moscow police marked in his report that 240,000 video surveillance cameras were installed in Moscow and this helped to solve  over 10,000 crimes. In addition, thanks to the Safe City video surveillance system, more than 4,300 wanted persons were identified, and more than 3,800 people were detained for committing crimes. Maxim Kruglov emphasised in his speech that  the Safe City system did not help in preventing the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall.

“Given the above, we cannot support your report. We categorically disagree with some of the methods that the Moscow police use in their work,” the head of the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma, Maxim Kruglov, summed up.

MAXIM KRUGLOV

is a Deputy Chairman of Yabloko,

a member of the Federal Bureau of the Party,

Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch of Yabloko,

head of the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma,

Candidate of Political Sciences.