In uniform

How many soldiers are in Russia?

October 26, 2017 Alexander Golts

The other day, the chief chief of the country suddenly began to contradict his generals. And even partly to his beloved. At a meeting with the members of the WorldSkills Russia team, who won the work specialties, the president was asked if it was possible to create an alternative service for them to train. In response, Putin unexpectedly stated: "We must keep in mind that we are gradually leaving the service at all." At the same time, he complained that budget restrictions are slowing down, but he promised that it will continue: “So a short time will pass when this issue is inappropriate.” At the same time, at the beginning of the month, when the autumn appeal was started, the generals began to vying in vain that the urgent service would always be. Putin reports that he wants to refuse him. However, in this case, it is completely incomprehensible why he recently signed a law prohibiting those who escaped military service without good reason within 10 years.

The president told the truth - recently, the process of transferring the armed forces to the contract under the contract has resolutely slowed down. Recently, speaking at a meeting of the Public Council of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel General Mikhail Misintsev announced a sensational figure. According to him, this year the number of contractors was 354 thousand. Which means: contrary to the victorious reports of the Ministry of Defense, the number of military professionals in the positions of ordinary and sergeants is not growing, but is reduced. Indeed, at the end of 2016, the head of the military department, Sergei Shoigu, stated that contractors were already 384 thousand. This is not enough, according to the plan of activity of the Ministry of Defense for 2013-2020, in 2017, contractors should even be 425 thousand.

Of course, it is possible that the military once again confused in their own lies. Delivered from any control, they are free to report any data - after all, it is still impossible to check it. However, the Mismans are not just a general. He is the head of the National Center for the Defense of the Russian Federation. It is to him, as we are assured that in real time, data on the state of the armed forces flows. So maybe he told the truth.

If so, then the process of transition to a contract froze at the level of 2015. The question is, where at least 90 thousand of those who, according to the Ministry of Defense, signed a contract in 2016 and 2017, went. The only explanation is that the same number of military personnel quit. Having served the laid for three years, they did not conclude a new contract. Which means that the conditions of service are by no means as attractive as they are described by the propagandists of the military department. The salary of the military, which was sharply lifted in 2012, has practically no last five years. And inflation greatly reduced it. In addition, Russia is involved in very specific conflicts, such as the “secret” war in the Donbass. The secret funeral of the dead, vile explanations that some vacationers are fighting in Ukraine, a cynical refusal to recognize their soldiers who were captured - all this turned away from the service of many.

But, if the number of contractors has not grown for two years, then the recent explanations of the Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu that a significant reduction in the size of the autumn draft (they plan to send 134 thousand guys to the troops, which is 18 thousand less than a year ago) is due to the fact that more and more positions are held by contractors, there are nothing. The thing is that Russia continues to whistle to fly into a demographic abyss. There is simply no one to call. Now those who were born in 1999 are sent to the troops, the year, when the birth rate was the lowest in the entire post-Soviet history. The number of born boys did not reach 600 thousand. However, the following seven years were a little better.

But there is no thin one without good. Shoigu also said that only 13 thousand people from the current call will be sent to other law enforcement agencies. Apparently, most of them will go to the Russian Guard. The rest of the security forces will have to live without frequent. The Ministry of Emergencies two years ago abandoned them, border guards even earlier. By the way, and the Russian Guard plans to go to the contract by 2025.

But the Ministry of Defense continues to cling to the call, even despite the fact that the chief boss would like (at least in words) to get rid of him. The answer is in the real number of the armed forces. It is not difficult to learn it: we are plus 250 thousand conscripts, 354 thousand contractors, 220 thousand officers and cadets of military schools, the number of which is unlikely to exceed 30 thousand. In total it turns out 850 thousand. And the president with the last decree approved the number of armed forces of 1 million 13 thousand military personnel. It is impossible to achieve this physically. The gap between the standard and the real number is 160 thousand troops. This will inevitably lead to a decrease in combat readiness. But for some reason in the Kremlin they are sure that only the millionth army corresponds to the status of a great power. The only way to prove to the authorities that this problem can be solved is to tell that the army can be understaffed only at the expense of reservists, those who have previously undergone military service. And therefore it is necessary to maintain a call. Thus, ambitions harm the transition to the contract no less than a reduction in the budget.

Photo: 1. Russia. Ivanovo. October 23. Drawers who have received military tickets at the collection point of the military commissariat during the autumn draft. Vladimir Smirnov/TASS
2. Russia. Vladivostok. November 14th. Drawers receive uniforms. The sending of conscripts to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began. Vladimir Sayapin/TASS
3. Russia. Ivanovo. October 23. Assistance to the conscript in the winding of footcloths at the prefabricated point of the military commissariat during the autumn draft. Vladimir Smirnov/TASS