April 01, 2020

Russia launches military draft braving coronavirus epidemy

topic:	Security
located:	Russia
editor:	Igor Serebryany

The Russian Defence Ministry launched the annual military draft as usual on April 1, despite the coronavirus emergency.

President Vladimir Putin signed a corresponding decree earlier this week, ordering to recruit 135,000 conscripts by May 20.

Two weeks ago the Kremlin said that the situation would keep the draft on hold until the epidemic subsides. The Defence Ministry endured that the Armed Forces have been manned enough to do without fresh arrivals for some time.

Nearly all the objectives the Army has could be achieved by the contract servicemen, coordinator of the "Citizen and Army" movement advocate group Sergei Krivenko agrees.

"Today in the Russian Armed Forces, conscripts serve mostly at various auxiliary positions and don't take part in any combat activities. It's not a big deal that the Army will not receive new recruits who cannot operate military equipment in any case", he says.

The Russian Defence Ministry sees the conscripts only as a "raw material" to produce prospective contract servicemen, Krivenko adds.

"The Defence Ministry is interested only in those conscripts who could become the professional soldiers. Those who demonstrate the skills required are offered to sign contracts to stay in the Army after their mandatory service term ends. But if a soldier refuses or is physically or mentally unfit, he leaves the army in one year", he reminds.

There's no threat that coronavirus would be brought into the Armed Forces by the fresh conscripts, Saint-Petersburg military deputy commissar Vladimir Anikeev ensures.

"Me, like all military commissariats' staff, have been staying at home since the start of this week, as it is an order of the city's military commissar Serhei Kachkovsky. There will be no draft activities until the 6th of April the earliest," he says.

Still, he adds, after April 6 all recruiting stations start working on full capacity regardless of the epidemic situation, Anikeev promises.

"We are going to enforce all the precaution measures. For example, we don't allow more than 50 recruits a time into a conscription station. Every recruit will be tested for temperature and rayed by special bactericidal lamps to ensure sterility", he says.

According to the officer, the recruits will be then transported to their army units wearing protective face masks and hold at two-week quarantine upon arrival.

He admits that in previous years the new conscripts were also placed for quarantine but it used to be "laxed enough".

"This time, we are going to exercise a professional approach to the quarantine. The soldiers will be totally isolated from the outer world for 14 days", the commissaire promises.

During the draft campaign in fall 2019, some 33 per cent of 132,000 recruits were found unfit for military service due to poor health.

Call to Action

Support your community during the COVID-19 pandemic!

Support now