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Defense Ministry Draws Up Elite List
The RF Defense Ministry unveiled September 8, 2005 the revised lists of Russia’s universities, which would keep the military training departments. As much as 40 institutions were added to the initial list of 30. Most of their graduates won’t be called to army in time of peace.
The radical cut in number of military departments – from today’s 229 to between 30 and 35 – was announced by Defense Ministry in June 2005. The graduates of such universities were expected to serve as officers in the military forces under three-year contracts. Other graduates were to spend in the army at least a year as soldiers.
Following the attack launched by the universities which were trimmed of the military departments, the Defense Ministry widened the list to 68 higher educational institutions.
The new list of universities falls into two sections. The first part sets forth 33 universities with the so-called military and training centers to be established. Exactly these institutions will release contract officers committed to three-year service. As bonus, the future officers will get allowance in amount five fold above the ordinary scholarship. Still, it looks like there is a trap-door left for the future officers. The graduates will be able to breach military contracts, having paid back the allowance in full.
The second list is elite, as General Pankov put it. It sets forth 35 universities overall, including 12 universities of Moscow (among them are the Moscow State University (MGU), Moscow Institute of Foreign Affairs (MGIMO), Moscow Physics-Technical Institute (MFTI), Finance Academy), five universities in St. Petersburg, two universities in Kazan, two in Novosibirsk and one in 14 more cities and towns of Russia. Their graduates will get the reserve officer’s status and never called to arms in peacetime.
In universities, they predict mass migration of students to the institutions with military training departments, especially to those expected to release the elite graduates.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 09, 2005
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