Shortage of the Police in russia Is Worsening: the Agency Is Lowering the Requirements for Candidates

The ministry of internal affairs of the rf is facing an unprecedented personnel shortage. As of November 2025, more than 172,000 positions remained unfilled – almost twice as many as in 2022. At that time, minister of internal affairs kolokoltsev estimated the shortage at 90,000 employees, in 2023 he called the situation “critical”, and in May 2024 he reported an increase in the shortage to 152,000 people, including a 75 % deficit of district police officers in moscow.

The most acute shortage of personnel is currently observed among district police officers, where in a number of regions it reaches 66 %, in the patrol and post service – 31 %, in drug control units – over 25 %, in criminal investigation – 23 %, and in investigative bodies – 22 %. This leads to overloading of departments and increased operational risks.

The main reason for resignations in the ministry of internal affairs is said to be the unsatisfactory level of financial support, which, according to employees, is “insufficient even for the minimum maintenance of a family”. The agency is trying to resolve the problem by lowering the requirements for candidates, which effectively opens the door to the recruitment of individuals with criminal records.

This trend indicates the systemic nature of the crisis in russia’s law enforcement system, which is losing what remains of its professional standards and professional personnel.