"Was it the same during the Communist era?" I think the all time body count holder (Checheko -I can't spell his name) was a Communist Party member as well! Social scientists have already past proved that the percentage of the total number of atrocity committing pedophiles is about the same in every country and region on Earth, in spite of the system of Government or severity of penalties applied. All peoples are equal, there is not necessarily one race, country or ethnic more moral than another. Sometimes the mobility, press capabilities, poor law enforcement or excellent law enforcement, wars and things of this type will skew the numbers for a period in one region in time or another, but the bulk numbers will closely match in the end from one part of the world to the next. Social scientists have postulated that it is probably true for all time as well, from the Babylonians to the Greeks to the Romans. There has been and always will be a sick element. "Why has the system totally broken down in Russia?" By the logic discussed already, any given "system" has nothing to do with whatever the tiny percentage of sick people in a given population will prey. Timelessly it has been proved most criminals believe either they won't get caught, or simply can't control themselves, regardless if they are given lethal injection (USA), shot (Russia), locked away (Europe) or beheaded (China).