The Russian analogue to the famous 911 service is yet to appear, yet it emerged that the operators will be able to receive phone calls and SMS in foreign languages.

      The 112 number will serve as a federal gateway to such emergency services, as police, ambulance, fire brigade, gas alarm, rescuers, as well as "anti-terror" services and psychological help. The emergency service will allow to identify the location of the caller, to analyse the information, to automatically restore a lost connection, and to keep a log of all incoming and outgoing calls. The highlight of the service is the opportunity to send an SMS to the same number, and to make calls and send messages in foreign languages.

      This is by far the most foreigner-friendly service offered by the Russian authorities that evidently takes into account the rising numbers of tourists and foreign businessmen in the country. We have previously reported about call centre for tourists appearing in Moscow that accepts calls in both Russian and English.

      Source: Moskovsky Komsomolets.