MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. Russian children’s rights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova suggests the health ministry should set up a service to support teenagers in a suicidal crisis, according to her report for 2022 that was posted on her website on Sunday.

Thus, the report recommends "a unified federal crisis service be established to help adolescents in a suicidal crisis." Apart from that, she suggested that each of Russian regions set up a crisis service for children and teenagers.

"The analysis of statistical data from the Russian State Statistics Authority on the number of suicides committed by minors shows that their number in Russia is decreasing: 397 in 2018, 372 - in 2019, 311 - in 2020 (or down by 21.6% on 2018)," the report says.

The report also cites Russia’s Investigative Committee, which also points to downward trends in terms of children’ suicides. Thus, according to its statistics, there were 548 such cases in 2020, or by 30.4% less than in 2018; 753 - in 2021, and 679 - in 2022 (or down by 9.8% on 2021). "At the same time, according to the Investigative Committee’s unofficial statistics, there is a negative dynamic in suicidal behavior of the underaged in terms of their suicide attempts," the report notes.