MOSCOW. Nov 3 (Interfax-AVN) - Airborne Troops (VDV) and Armed Forces veterans will rally in the Poklonnaya Gora area of Moscow on November 7 to demand a review of the current military reform, chairman of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, ex-VDV commander and former USSR Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Vladislav Achalov told Interfax-AVN on Wednesday.
"We, the VDV veterans, have decided to conduct a protest in the Poklonnaya Gora on the National Unity Day under the aegis of the Union of Marines, the Federation of Russian Cosmonauts, the Moscow regional organization called "Combat Brotherhood" and other public organizations. The rally will be held under the motto of protecting the VDV, the army and the navy from the ill-considered military reform currently implemented by defense officials," Achalov said.
"We believe that the reforms in the army and navy are destroying the integral system of the armed forces. Already more than 100,000 officers and warrant officers have been dismissed or, to be more precise, thrown out into the street without housing, dozens of military schools were closed, which poses an immediate threat to national security. It is time to stop this anarchy," the general said.
Army veterans from various parts of Russia will take part in the rally, Achalov said. "The Union of Russian Paratroopers will hold a press conference in Moscow on November 6. So on the following day all delegates will take part in the rally," he said.
The Moscow City Hall permitted the rally with up to 5,000 participants to be held between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on November 7, Achalov said.