Russia issued half as many passports last year

In 2015, Russia issued 3.8 million passports for foreign travel—just half as many as it did the year before, according to figures released by the Federal Migration Service.

State officials say the drop is the result of Russia's new generation of passports (which contain biometric personal data and are good for ten years, instead of just five), but another factor is that Russians are opting more frequently for domestic tourism, instead of trips abroad.

According to the news agency RBC, the Migration Service issued 54 percent fewer new-generation passports in 2015 and 36 percent fewer older-style passports.