MOSCOW. Dec 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The number of Interior Ministry troops in Chechnya will not be reduced until the end of winter, Interior Ministry Forces Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Rogozhkin said at a news conference at the Interfax main office on Thursday.
The group may be reduced while defining goals for spring-summer 2006, he said, adding that "should there be fewer platoon posts, there will be fewer soldiers."
The number of Interior Ministry troops depends on the situation in Chechnya and the goals set, he said, adding that the issue is being resolved with the direct participation of Chechen President Alu Alkhanov.
The Interior Ministry Forces are being equipped with up-to-date armaments and military hardware, Rogozhkin went on. In particular, efficient radio-electronic intelligence means, such as Luch and Fara are being procured, because they make it possible to detect the enemy very efficiently. Special attention is paid to individual protection assets, such as body armor and helmets, because "preservation of personnel lives is the most important thing," he said.
The Interior Ministry Forces have also started procuring more wheeled armored vehicles, such as Ural, Gazel and UAZ vehicles, as well as Tigr biaxial automobiles, which are used as command-post vehicles and for landing parties transportation.
The officer manning level in the forces is quite high, Rogozhkin said. "It has never declined below 96 percent," he stressed. The number of applicants for higher educational establishments of the forces is 10 times higher than the number of students that can be enrolled, and when it comes to entrance exams, the number of people taking them is still three times higher than the number of people that can be enrolled.
Rogozhkin also said that personnel for the forces are being trained by 45 higher educational establishments of the Defense Ministry.