Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed several senior law enforcement officers and told the authorities they must do a better job fighting a range of problems from extremism to teen suicides.
In a decree made public on March 9, Putin replaced 10 generals who held high-level national or regional positions in the Interior Ministry, the Investigative Committee, and the prison service, as well as two regional prosecutors.
None of the officers who were dismissed was publicly prominent, and no reason was given for the reshuffle.
But its announcement came on a day when Putin addressed an Interior Ministry meeting and said candidates for top law enforcement positions must meet very strict requirements.
Putin called on law enforcement to work harder to combat extremism, illegal migration, and deadly traffic accidents, adding that almost half of the crimes across Russia go unsolved.
He called for tougher legislation to prosecute people behind "websites promoting suicide," saying that "these criminals...primarily target teenagers and young people."
In recent months, authorities in Russia and Central Asia have linked online games to teenage suicides.
