OMON STRENGTHENING ITS RANKS.

Moscow Special Purpose Militia Detachment (OMON) commander, General Dmitri Ivanov, says that Russia currently has 117 OMON units, in practically all cities with a population over 300,000. The Moscow OMON is the largest with its 2,000 men. All OMON units report directly to the Internal Affairs Ministry (MVD), rather than to city or regional jurisdictions. Ivanov failed to reveal the total number of OMON personnel, but said that in addition to OMON, the MVD also has at its disposal the Special Detachments of Rapid Deployment (SOBR, which report to the MVD’s Administration to Combat Organized Crime. (15)

A Russian-Born Writer Wins Prix Goncourt.