163,000 laid off police officers to serve in Russia's National Guard
Source: Interfax
The 163,000 police officers who were rendered redundant earlier on Tuesday when Russian President Putin signed a degree reducing the maximum number of law enforcement officials to 904,881 individuals, effective October 1, 2016, compared with the current 1.068 million, will be transferred to the country's National Guard, reported the Ministry of the Interior.
Russia's National Guard was formed in April 2016 as a result of another decree signed by Putin. The agency is composed of Interior Ministry troops, riot police, SWAT teams, and personal security personnel. It is headed by Viktor Zolotov, who was formerly in charge of Putin's protection.