#9
BBC Monitoring
Russian paper assesses autumn call-up starting today
Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Moscow, in Russian 1 Oct 02

The health of young men appearing for national service is steadily deteriorating, according to a Russian newspaper report looking at the prospects for this year's autumn call-up. The article also details the measures being taken in some regions to ascertain serious defects in recruits, such as HIV-infection or drug addiction. The following is the text of the report by the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta of 1 October. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The autumn call-up for military service in Russia officially begins today. According to an edict of the Russian president, more than 170,000 recruits must join the ranks. If we take it on average, then each federation member must send from 1,500 to 2,000 young people to the army and also to a good dozen ministries and departments for which military service is foreseen. Of course, among the regions there will be record-setters and those lagging behind. Considering that words about honourable duty will inspire far from all 18-year-old lads, many regions have already begun to prepare for the draft in advance and are not waiting for any edict.

Measures taken to detect HIV infection, drug addiction

The deputy chairman of the draft commission for the city of Moscow, Nikolay Popov, reported that express tests will arrive in the medical services of the capital's draft commissions for detecting narcotic-dependent recruits. This is connected with the fact that during the spring call-up, the number of drug addicts among potential soldiers increased by 10 per cent above normal. In addition, capital military commissariats received and sent packing 215 HIV-infected individuals who found out about their disease at the medical commissions. The number of mentally ill among Muscovite recruits grew by 1.2 per cent. Therefore, the laboratories of Moscow recruitment commissions will receive another R700,000 for detecting illnesses at an early stage.

In Leningrad Region, recruits received free rides on passenger transport on local routes from home to the commissariat and back, for which it was only necessary to show their summons. In addition, the heads of district administrations have been instructed to organize ceremonies for issuing the recruits into the army.

"According to preliminary predictions, the plan for the call-up should be over-fulfilled," said the military commissar of Leningrad Region, Maj-Gen Vladimir Skokov. Along with this, the military commissar promised to see attentively to the observance of the rights of citizens and to receive personally anyone for whom a dispute arises. For this he even promised to remove a sign from the door of his office which indicated reception hours for personal problems, because, according to the general, "work with people must not be based on a schedule".

And Sverdlovsk Region is so optimistically inclined that they do not even fear conscientious objectors. For example, during the spring call-up only 154 men did not show up, which is much fewer that last year.

State of recruits' health worsening

The health of the potential soldiers is much more worrying. The number of youths who cannot serve because of health increases year after year. They need not even flee - they will nevertheless not be accepted, not as cosmonauts and not for the infantry. Thus, according to the figures of past call-up campaigns, the medical commissions declared every third recruit unfit for service, including because of serious chronic illnesses, the presence of which was often established only at the draft centre. Therefore, even now workers of the military-medical commissions ask recruits to submit to an examination in advance.

The first groups of recruits will go off to the troops during the first days of November. But far from all youths of call-up age will manage to be fitted for a military uniform. According to General Staff information, every six months no more than 11-12 per cent of the young people on the military list are sent to serve. The rest enjoy various types of deferments or are excused because of health. For example, in Tula Region it is estimated that of almost 10,000 recruits, only about 2,000 will go into the army. Of course, the Defence Ministry would be glad to call up more youths, which would solve many of the army's problems. But for now it must be satisfied with what it has. True, the staff at the draft commissions note that year after year the number of lads who go willingly to serve increases.

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