“New guidance carries a clear message to men abroad who may be avoiding the draft: You don’t get the benefit of state services if you don’t join the fight.” “Ukrainian officials have taken several steps in recent weeks to swell the ranks of an army depleted by more than two years of grueling combat … [including] a new mobilization bill […]
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(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 13, 2019) Vladimir Putin has once again declared Russia must move from a draft-based army to a professional one, winning plaudits from experts and the Russian people — just as he has ever time he has repeatedly made exactly the same declaration in the past (meduza.io/feature/2019/04/12/putin-skazal-chto-prizyva-v-armiyu-ne-budet-nuzhny-tolko-vremya-i-dengi-on-uzhe-eto-govoril). And while most experts say […]
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“… Putin significantly changed the script for Russian military reform on October 24 by indicating intent to end the draft in favor of volunteer contract service. … Putin told his young audience: ‘While I don’t have a ready-made answer, in the same vein if we try to develop this practice further, then maybe we’ll come up with something, but in general […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Eva Hartog – November 3, 2015) Roughly one third of this year’s potential conscripts have been exempted from serving in the Russian military for medical reasons, the head of the Defense Ministry’s main military medical directorate, Alexander Fisun, told the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper on Tuesday. This year, about 30 percent of conscripts were turned down […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 15, 2015) Russia’s state-funded Antarctic expedition has had to halt its research due to a lack of funding, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday, citing one of the scientists involved in the expedition. “It’s not yet clear how long the research will be suspended for,” Ruslan Kolunin told TASS. He said that work on […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Makar Butkov, special to RBTH -February 23, 2015) As in many countries, military service is compulsory in Russia for young men between 18 and 27, yet remains unpopular with many, who find various ways of avoiding the draft. Odd as it may seem, few take up the option of legal alternative civilian service […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Tatyana Rusakova, RBTH – April 25, 2014) Despite far-reaching reforms to the armed forces in recent years, attitudes toward military service among Russia’s young remain largely negative – though polls suggest that many older Russians do not share this view. What options does the army have to avoid being chronically understaffed in the […]
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MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russians are divided about the use of conscript soldiers in the army, according to a survey published Tuesday. A total of 48 percent of Russians believe the military draft should remain a key source of manpower for the army, while 40 percent think only professional contract soldiers should serve, the poll by the independent […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 3, 2013) The physical fitness of Russia’s soldiers remains inadequate due to the poor state of recruits and shoddy training, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday. The Defense Ministry has tried recently to improve physical training in the Russian army and navy, with more time allocated to physical exercise, Shoigu said at a […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 2, 2013 – http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2013/04/window-on-eurasia-spring-draft.html) Moscow is now conducting its spring draft of young men for the uniformed services, one that is highlighting class and ethnic divides among the population of the Russian Federation, a greater willingness on the part of both sides of these divides to speak out, and efforts by […]
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MOSCOW, March 13 (RIA Novosti) More than 244,000 draft-age men avoided conscription into Russia’s Armed Forces last year, the General Staff reported on Wednesday. Some 8,794 Russian men received their draft card but did not show up at the recruiment office as required – a criminal offence carrying a prison term of up to two years under Russian law, […]
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