The army is the dream of Russian girls

They want to allow girls from 18 to 27 years old to serve of their own free will in the army on an equal basis with men. Tatyana Moskalkova, deputy chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs and a member of the Commission for Monitoring the Reliability of Information on the Income of State Duma Deputies, sent amendments to the law “On Military Duty and Military Service” to the Ministry of Defense for consideration .

The office of deputy Viktor Zavarzin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, explained to PublicPost that these amendments are indeed being discussed by everyone, but, most likely, they will never be adopted: “Moskalkova actually proposed to introduce such amendments into the law, they are now being discussed in the Duma many say these amendments are unlikely to ever be adopted, because they make the implementation of the law optional. It turns out that women can serve if they want. But if they don’t want to, this is nonsense, no one needs a law that is optional. They can serve us anyway - under contract. And also as privates."

Now in Russia, only men aged 18 to 27 years undergo compulsory military service for one year, and girls can only study at military departments and receive military specialties, hold civilian positions or serve in the army under a contract, but for this they need to be selected and have special professional training.

PublicPost spoke with girls from different cities of Russia, for whom military service is a long-standing dream that may soon become a reality:

Alena Balaganskaya, 18 years old, preparing to enter college, Myski, Kemerovo region

“The idea of ​​going to serve was inspired by girls from the Israeli army. Perhaps in the future my life will be very difficult, and I would like to get good moral and physical training. I don’t want to go under a contract - you need to serve there for three years. And one year is equal with men - with pleasure. Most of all, I would like to join the military police, but my heart also lies with the railway troops and the infantry. I would like to go somewhere far from home - my parents know everything at the same time, and they like my desire. Mom, of course, tried to dissuade me at first, but then she accepted it. But in general, for the sake of the army, I’m even ready to put off having children..."

Valeria Fedorenko, 18 years old, studies at Ulyanovsk State University at the Faculty of Ecology, has the first adult category in basketball, Ulyanovsk

“The desire to serve in the army arose in my childhood - my parents and I lived in a military town, where everyone was in the military. Now I also have many military friends. I really like their lifestyle. I would like to combine business with pleasure and serve under a contract - probably in the Airborne Forces (this is my favorite type of troops) in a hot spot in Chechnya, for example. I love the adrenaline, the heights, the intense stress. In general, it’s interesting to try yourself in the shoes of a man, what it’s like to live for a long time far from home in extreme conditions. conditions. If there is any hazing in the women’s army, I’m not afraid - I can stand up for myself. Women in general have well-developed intuition, dexterity, flexibility, cunning - I think these qualities will be useful to the army.”

Victoria Zavyalova, 19 years old, works in security, Chelyabinsk

“I’ve been involved in martial arts all my life, and now I work in security. I’m just studying for weapons. My work is not very interesting yet, but as soon as I pass the weapons exam, everything will be much more serious. Now I only go with him to study , and so I will always be with him.

I really want to serve in the Airborne Forces, in hot spots. For the reason that no matter where I work, everything is too easy for me. But I don’t like ease! I really like working in security, but everything is too easy here too. I am attracted to everything extreme and dangerous. I’m not afraid to serve at all, I’m afraid for our country, what’s happening to it!

I just don’t understand why everyone reacts this way when they find out that a girl wants to serve on an equal basis with men? For some reason, the state is also against it. In other countries, girls serve - and it’s fine. Maybe we should try too? Women are more reliable than guys, and they do their work well.”

Natalya Polovnikova, 20 years old, works in a private security company, Kirov

“Serving in the army is what I really want to do in life. I have been dreaming about this since childhood, maybe to some extent I was influenced by war films, which I watch with pleasure and admiration. I would like to first go through military service (like young people) in order to experience the whole essence of what, unfortunately, is not available to us now. Then serve under a contract - but not sit somewhere in an office, sorting through papers, as they may offer us at the moment. really serve.

Like many girls, I would like to serve in the Airborne Forces, because, whatever one may say, this is the elite of all troops - parachute jumps are just worth it! All my family and friends know what I want to devote my life to, they support me and understand that my decision is conscious. After all, I want to serve not because there is some degree of romance in it or because I just want to wear a nice uniform.

That most young people are trying to avoid the army scares me. So it turns out that girls must serve. And who, if not us? If they don’t want to serve, then let them sit at home, take care of cooking, cleaning and children, and we will defend our homeland! In the army, girls will be useful, just like boys. We are no worse, and to some extent better. It has long been proven that women are more resilient, attentive, and if you are friends with physical education from childhood, then in terms of physical training you can not lag far behind the guys. I really hope that the Duma will still pass this law, because there are thousands of us girls who are ready to pick up a machine gun even tomorrow and begin to fulfill their military duty with dignity.”

Olga Bavykina, 23 years old, hairdresser, Shakhty

“I really love sports - I do hand-to-hand combat and go to the gym. I wanted to join the army at the age of 18, but my parents were against it - “all this is not for a girl.” I just always wanted to be on an equal footing with men, I wanted to defend my homeland myself. , my family. I really love military films and, probably, it was because of them that I wanted to serve. My grandfather was an officer, my father was a lieutenant. I like this courage, strong people, but, unfortunately, I am proud. I never got there. Now, due to my age, I am no longer qualified for a military institute. If they had taken girls on a contract just like that, right from the street (let us go through the “young fighter course” for several months, and then go ahead, sign the contract, and serve), then many would go. After all, all these male standards are real for us - the main thing is to train long and hard, and you can achieve anything.

Personally, I would like to get into the Airborne Forces. Serve in intelligence in Chechnya or Dagestan. Our guys are there, and I want to be with them. Help. I have many friends who serve there. Of course, they don't tell much. For me, this should be the style and meaning of life.

And the guys “mow down” only because now the army is weak: I had a young man who served in the Air Force in the Far East, and so they only kept machine guns there when they were sworn in, they didn’t do anything military all year, they just tore up grass. There is no point in joining such an army."

Yana Makarova, 21 years old, marketer, Yakutsk

“In the ninth grade, my brother entered the cadet corps. When my mother and I went to his oath, for the first time I wanted to study not just at school, but in the cadet corps. From the ninth grade, our class became specialized - the Ministry of Emergency Situations. We wore a uniform, we there was an oath (like an oath). Sometimes we were taken to training grounds and exercises. I really liked all this. In the tenth grade, we went to a week-long field training in one of the parts of our city: there we walked in formation, dug trenches, put on OZK and dismantled. machine guns. Then I decided that I wanted to be a military man. I began to look for a military university where girls could enroll. It was 2005-2006. Looking through various forums, I found information about the academies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, etc. a policeman, not a rescuer, but a military man. So after 11th grade I had to enroll as an economist... As a result, I became a marketer... After graduating from university, I married a military man, and we moved to his place of duty - the Plesetsk cosmodrome. There are many military units here, I began to often see women in military uniform, and my desire to serve returned. This was 1.5 years ago. At that time, women were not drafted at all. They started recruiting people to the medical service and communications center in January of this year. And for this there must be education corresponding to these specialties. So it turns out that in order to be called up, I need to retrain. Although men are hired for a contract without education, immediately after the deadline.

If I could sign a contract, I would serve on an equal basis with men: field trips, shooting, forced marches, drill training - all this is interesting to me. My husband is just categorically against it. At the moment, I decided to postpone attempts to enlist - I plan to study for a technical specialty (to be sure), give birth to children, and then, with a sense of fulfilled female duty, join the ranks of the RF Armed Forces."