Russian Police Official Decries Falling Living Standards for Police, Declares $600K Salary

May 24, 2019

Russia's deputy chief of police declared an income of 38 million rubles ($588,000) two days after complaining that law enforcement officers’ living standards are falling.

Deputy Interior Minister Arkady Gostev’s income grew tenfold between 2017 and 2018, according to declarations published on Thursday, making him the richest police officer in Russia.

Police spokeswoman Irina Volk said the disparity occurred because Gostev received a welfare subsidy last year, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

On Tuesday, Gostev said that Interior Ministry employees’ purchasing power and living standards were dropping because their wages were not keeping up with inflation.

“Interior Ministry salaries remained unchanged from 2012 to 2017,” he was quoted as telling members of the Russian senate’s defense committee by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev had declared an income of 10 million rubles in 2018. His deputies earned between 4 million rubles and 6 million rubles with the exception of Gostev.

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