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Chechnya to miss spring draft

A full-scale recruitment campaign, the first over the past 22 years, took place in Chechnya in 2014 when five hundred young Chechen conscripts were recruited into the Russian army

© Ruslan Shamukov/TASS, archive

GROZNY, April 11 /TASS/. Chechnya, a republic in the Russian North Caucasus, is going to miss the spring draft, which has been under way in Russia since April 1, a source at the republic’s military commissariat told TASS on Monday.

"We are not going to send anybody to the army this year because our boys should get adapted to the army service first. The Chechens have not served in the army for 25 years," Chechnya’s military commissar Akhmed Dzheirkhanov said.

A full-scale recruitment campaign, the first over the past 22 years, took place in Chechnya in 2014 when five hundred young Chechen conscripts were recruited into the Russian army. Dzheirkhanov said that they were currently analyzing how their army service was going on.

"We have got a positive dynamics so far. Everything is fine. The commanders of military units have sent thank-you letters for 181 servicemen to [Chechnya’s] military commissar. About 100 soldiers received the titles of junior commanders," Dzheirkhanov said.

According to him, more than 86,000 conscripts can be potentially drafted to the Russian army from Chechnya. If the conscripts adapt well, conscription campaigns in Chechnya will become as regular as in other parts of Russia.

Six constituent entities of the North Caucasus Federal District will send 7,679 conscripts to the Russian Armed Forces during the spring draft. Requirements for conscripts in the Caucasus are quite high. A system of guarantees exists in many regions, including Chechnya. Under this system, every conscript should provide the names of two or three cautioners from the number of elders who will take on responsibility for him.

Russia’s spring army draft will take place from April 1, 2016 to July 15, 2016 following the Russian president’s decree.

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