Over 40,000 Emergencies Ministry personnel to ensure safety at 2018 FIFA World Cup

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. Over 40, 000 personnel of the Russian Emergencies Ministry will be deployed to ensure safety and security this summer in Russian cities and regions selected to host matches of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup, Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladlen Aksyonov said on Wednesday. "In order to provide safety against (possible) natural and man-made hazards, as well as fire safety during the championship, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry will deploy a grouping of forces and resources in two echelons, with a reserve of over 40,000 personnel and more than 4,400 pieces of equipment," he said at a session of the government’s commission for the prevention and elimination of emergency situations. The deputy minister added that psychologists from the Russian Emergencies Ministry as well as from other organizations would be on duty as well at the championship’s venues. "Also, in order to render psychological assistance if necessary, we are seeking to involve 259 specialists from the Emergencies Ministry, and 608 more experts from other organizations," Aksyonov said. The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off in 50 days with the opening match in the Russian capital of Moscow. Russia selected 11 host cities to be the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara. The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums located in the 11 mentioned above cities across Russia. Two of the stadiums are located in the Russian capital. Read more