ULYANOVSK, January 18. /TASS/. The Ulyanovsk Region’s governor, Sergey Morozov, has called for refraining from the dismissal of a group of cadets from the local Civil Aviation Institute for videoing and uploading to the Internet a parody dance they performed wearing only the underwear and uniform caps.
Presumably, it all happened at the institute’s hostel. A popular outcry followed.
"Our task is to avoid ruining their lives and dreams and to make them give thought to the consequences of what their actions might entail. These guys should realize that the uniform they wear implies extra responsibility and compliance with a certain code of conduct. That’s a firm conviction of mine, a man who for many years wore a uniform with insignia," the governor’s press-service quotes Morozov as saying.
The governor, a retired police colonel, believes that the cadets should bear the punishment proportionate to the wrongdoing.
He is certain that "dismissal will by no means teach them to be patriotic or good-mannered."
"I believe that the institute’s veterans and teachers will manage to present quite a few arguments to explain to the cadets what respect for the uniform and traditions means," he said.
Morozov promised that on Friday he would meet with the cadets and their parents and have a talk with them to speak his mind "as a father and a career officer."
"I am certain that this bitter experience will help most of them mature. Support from their senior comrades - officers and industry veterans - extended at this dramatic moment in their lives when they stumbled will become a good lesson of comradeship, unity and trust," Morozov said.
The meeting will be closed to the media, the governor’s press-service said.