INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Crimes involving weapons have surged by nearly 30% in Russia this year, the RBC news websitereported Wednesday, citing police data.Some
5,000 offenses involving firearms, ammunition and explosives were registered in January-October 2022, a 29.7% increase from the same time
period last year.Authorities saw a more than 12% increase in the theft and extortion of firearms, ammunition and explosives, while
registering 7.3% fewer arms smuggling offenses.RBC notes that crimes using explosives hit a six-year peak of 283.Russian military enlistment
offices have been targeted by a slew of Molotov cocktail and arson attacks since the Kremlin sent its forces into neighboring Ukraine in
weapons at 675% and 213% each.Moscow came in third with a 203% increase in crimes involving weapons.Overall, Russian law enforcement
authorities registered 1.7% fewer crimes than in January-October 2021 at 1.67 million.Violent crime saw a higher increase, climbing by 21.5%
to a total of 23,500.A geographic breakdown showed only 29 Russian regions registered an increase in crimes, compared with 56 regions that
