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Russia Ranked One of Least Peaceful Countries in World

Russia has “higher levels of expenditure on the military, internal security and costs associated with violent crime,” the report said.

Russia was ranked 152 out of 162 countries on the 2015 Global Peace Index.

The Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace think tank, which compiles the ranking, put Russia between Nigeria (151) and North Korea (153).

The report cited "Russian-backed separatists" in the conflict in Ukraine, "Russia's military takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula" and the "flow of Russian arms" to the Middle East and Africa. Along with China, which was ranked 124th, Russia has "higher levels of expenditure on the military, internal security and costs associated with violent crime," the report said.

The index's authors analyzed 23 different types of data in 162 countries during the last eight years, focusing on the level of security, inbound and outbound conflicts and the degree of militarization in the countries.

Syria took the bottom position due to its ongoing civil war, while Iceland was named the most peaceful country in the world, followed by Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland.

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