Sergei Pulikovsky, head of Military Registration and Enlistment Office of the Krasnodar region.
Q.: What are the main tasks of Military Registration and Enlistment Office?
A.: Twice a year we run conscription campaigns. From 13,000 to 14,000 young men are drafted every year into the army. Altogether in our register we have around 90,000 men of call-up age - from 18 to 27.
Q.: What novelties may our conscripts expect this year?
A.: Now we propose to university graduates to sign an army contract during the first year of their mandatory service. If a young man has not served in the army but he has higher education, he may sign a two-year contract.
It means that he will become eligible for all advantages enjoyed by contractual military - like, he will live in a dormitory or flat rather than barracks; he will be getting wages from 25,000 rubles and higher; and he will have a chance to continue his army service as an officer even without graduating a specialized military school.
Q.: Experts assert that the contemporary army does not know such phenomenon as the rule of the ‘grandfathers’, physical and psychological abuse of new recruits in the army. In your opinion, how did the relations among the military personnel change?
A.: Today we have really better order in the army; no chaos or disorders of the 1990s. The control of military prosecutor’s office and the society over the army has become much tougher. However the chief improvement factor has been reduction of the term of service.
Q.: How did reduction of the term of service affect the quantity of draft dodgers?
A.: If some ten years ago, we would be running after the conscripts trying to catch them with nets, now the number of those willing to serve exceeds the scheduled amount of draftees. We have to draft 7,200 persons, but the number of young men physically able to serve is higher. This is why we are choosing the healthiest and best physically prepared young men for the service. The total number of the real dodgers, those who are hiding from us, is 193 persons - mainly from Krasnodar, Sochi, Armavir and Novorossiysk.
Q.: What opportunities do women have in the army? Can they be subject to conscription?
A.: No. Our women’s fate is not easy without being drafted into the army. They may join it if they want to sign a contract. In Moscow, there is a boarding school of female cadets. Girls may enter this school after the fourth grade. There are other military schools where women wishing to serve may get military education - but the list of the specializations eligible for them is limited. Women may serve as communications workers, topographers, general staff employees, etc.
За всеми важными новостями следите в MAX, Telegram, во «ВКонтакте», «Одноклассниках», YouTube и на Rutube
