MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. Russian defense-sector companies cannot go into lockdown because of their liabilities under state defense order, that is why they must strictly observe all anti-coronavirus measures, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Sunday.
"We cannot go into lockdown because we must implement the state defense order. We have very serious liabilities. So, discipline is what matters most. However, we have also sustained losses, with many general designers having died," he said in an interview with the Moscow.Kremlin.Putin program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in turn, said that strict discipline and the implementation of all anti-coronavirus requirements are very important for the Russian armed forces. "The mortality rate is by 45 times, not percent, lower than generally inn Russia. The number of hospitalizations went down by three times on the last year," he said when asked about the results of the 95-percent vaccination coverage and other anti-coronavirus measures in the army.
According to the minister, the army cannot be loyal to voluntary vaccination. "We cannot, say, be loyal because when our long-haul ships go on duty and there is an infected among the crew, should we return the ship? And who will go on combat duty? Who will defend the country? These are serious things. Crews are on combat duty round-the-clock and there must be no doubts that we are in control of this process. So, vaccination is a must," he stressed.