MOSCOW. May 11 (Interfax) - The number of contract servicemen will grow in the Russian Armed Forces, according to the materials describing main results of the fulfillment of the May 2012 orders of the Russian president.
The materials were released by the Russian government's press service on Wednesday.
"In furtherance of the Russian president's directive dated October 10, 2015, the Russian Defense Ministry is working to achieve the norm of 383,800 military positions staffed with contract servicemen in 2016. The number of ensigns (michmans), sergeants (petty officers) and soldiers (sailors) serving under contract, will grow by 31,800 servicemen," the government materials said.
"Priority is given to the staffing of submarine crews and formations, military units and crews engaged in the accomplishment of special and peacekeeping missions," the materials said.
Ninety-six battalion (company) tactical groups and sergeant positions will be additionally staffed with contract servicemen in full; and the staff of the new formations and military units, crews of modern weapons, military and special hardware and submarines will be enlarged to the required parameters.
"According to information from the Russian Defense Ministry, the 2015 plan of staffing the Russian Armed Forces with contract servicemen was met in full, which resulted in the staffing of 352,215 military positions of ensigns (michmans), sergeants (petty officers) and soldiers (sailors) as of January 1, 2016," the government materials said.
The materials said that 14,274 contract servicemen were recruited for military service in 2016, which made it possible to staff with contract servicemen 355,953 military positions (92.7% of the number established in the list of military positions of ensigns (michmans), sergeants (petty officers) and soldiers (sailors) subject to be staffed with contract servicemen).
State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov told Interfax on May 5 that Russia was not planning to enlarge the size of its armed forces. "We had one million and we still have it," he said.