Grozny tops the rating of safest Russian cities. The poll respondents rated how much they agree with the statement "I live in a safe area and do not afraid to go home at night," according to a 10-point scale. The local residents called Grozny the most safe city," the press release said.
Residents of the Chechen capital estimated their security at 8.7 points out of 10, which is significantly higher than in other cities.
Sochi was in the second place. Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut and Armavir are from the third to the fifth places respectively. Saransk, Murmansk, Cheboksary, Nizhnekamsk and Vladikavkaz are the last in the top 10.
Moscow and St. Petersburg are in 31st and 42nd places. The city of Shakhty in the Rostov region is in the last 100th place. The top 10 least-safe cities also includes Volgograd, Omsk, Chita, Astrakhan, Saratov, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil, Balashikha and Perm, RIA Novosti reported.
The editor-in-Chief of the North Ossetia newspaper Alan Kasayev, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted three factors that, in his opinion, helped Grozny to top this rating. "First, I think it's the good work of the internal affairs agencies. Second, the authority and influence of the head of the republic Ramzan Kadyrov, who does a lot to ensure security in the territory of Chechnya. Third, it's the population's mentality, which also played its role," Kasayev explained.
At the same time, he commented on why the Chechen capital occupied the first place. "It all depends on what kind of methodology was used in the survey. It's all about the nuances. Probably, every city from the top 10 could be named the best one. For example, I have lived in Vladikavkaz in recent years, and could put this city in first place in terms of security for the population," the editor-in-Chief of the North Ossetia newspaper concluded.
Professor of the Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University, a member of the commission for migration issues of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, Maya Astvatsaturova, in turn, drew attention to the recent policy pursued by the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. "The administrative doctrine of the republic's leadership was mainly aimed at security. And this is understandable, given the events that happened there," the expert said.
According to her, another factor that influenced the fact that Groznyi topped this rating is the regional patriotism of its residents. "Today, it is a community, which has become as cohesive due to certain management policy methods implemented by the head of the republic," Maya Astvatsaturova explained.
At the same time she recalled that Grozny is a safe city in terms of official statistics. "There are official data on the level of street crime, fights, antisocial behavior, deviant behavior, etc. And in this sense the situation in the capital of Chechnya is really good today. I was in Grozny and I should say that the city is well maintained," the expert noted.
Summarizing, the expert focused on the fact that Grozny's first place in the rating can be explained by three factors. "First of all, if earlier Grozny was perceived as a hotbed of danger, today the city has a favorable image. Second, today the authorities of the republic are doing a lot to restore order in the city. Third, it is local, regional patriotism," the member of the commission for migration issues of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations summed up.
