Russia has 2nd Highest Murder Rate

Ivan Sas in Hezavisimaya Gazeta provides statistics showing the number of murders in Russia was nearly 32,000 in 2003. This is 2.3 times the number of murders committed in Russia at the end of the Soviet era (1987).

According to Sas, only the UAR (South Africa) has a higher murder rate among "accomplishing/developing nations".

It is intersting to note the most used murder weapon in a country where guns are outlawed and have been so for a very long time - so no easy access or legacy access to firearms to the general population.

"Чем чаще всего убивают в России?"
(How are murders most often committed in Russia?)

(Answered by a Police Colonel)
"Чаще всего – кухонным ножом. Второе место в рейтинге орудий убийства занимают тяжелые твердые предметы – от лома до табуретки. И только потом идет огнестрельное оружие – с его применением в прошлом году было совершено 2110 убийств"

(Most often - a kitchen knife. Second place in the rating of murder weapons is heavy, hard objects - from scraps to stools. Only after that are "fired" weapons - without only 2110 murders committed by these in the last year.)

(Interesting - murders happen even without guns)

The colonel goes on to say this is less than 7% of the total and most of these "fired" weapons are not "war guns", but "gas powered" (air rifles) weapons, which are allowed in many regions.