Paul
Goble
Staunton, February 5 – The Russian
government has introduced draft legislation that would make it easier for Moscow
to sign up professional soldiers and for commanders to force draftees to
convert to that status and thus be available for dispatch to Ukraine, yet
another indication Moscow is preparing for a massive invasion and facing difficulties
finding men for it.
Under current law, the only place
where young men can sign up to become professional soldiers is at their local
military commissariat. Indeed, Russian officials over the past year have
frequently reassured the Committees of Soldiers Mothers that commanders are not
allowed to change the status of draftees, despite numerous reports that such
actions have occurred.
Today’s “Novyye izvestiya” reports
that the new measure will allow for accelerating the recruitment of
professional soldiers not only by giving legal status to the recruiting centers
which already exist but also by having them expand recruiting propaganda,
something the commissariats don’t engage in (newizv.ru/politics/2015-02-05/214374-rekrutskij-prizyv.html).
Recruiting centers have existed
since September 2012, although they have operated only on the basis of a
defense ministry directive rather than any Russian law. The ministry says that
they are currently processing 6500 people a month for professional service in
the Russian armed forces.
These centers, even under the new
legislation, will not be entirely separate from the commissariats which will
still handle medical examinations and be involved in the final selection of
those who have applied to become professional soldiers, the Moscow paper says.
According to Oleg Shvedkov, the head
of the All-Russian Union of Military Personnel, the expansion of these centers will bring
Russia into line with American practice, increase propaganda for military
service, and thus bring the day closer when all those in the military will be
professional soldiers rather than primarily draftees.
Leaders of the Russian Soldiers Mothers
Committees, say they do not see this program as being directly linked to events
in Ukraine or to the illegal but apparently widespread practice in which
commanders force draftees under various pretexts to convert to professional
status so that they can be sent to the fighting there.
But there are at least two reasons for
thinking it is. On the one hand, Moscow clearly feels the need to step up its
agitprop campaign to get more young people to sign up for military service,
something it might not have to do were it not actively engaged in military aggression
in Ukraine.
And on the other, the creation of more
recruitment centers almost certainly will make it easier for commanders to
engage in the illegal practice of having draftees agree to become
professionals. No longer will there be a single place where such transfers can
be legalized – the commissariat of the soldier’s home area – but rather far
more places where it could occur.
No comments:
Post a Comment