ROSTOV-ON-DON, Southern Russia, September 20 (AVN) - Former contract soldiers of the unified federal group in Chechnya are still picketing the headquarters of the North Caucasus military district demanding that their combat money should be paid to them, a high-ranking official of the district told the Military News Agency.
Wednesday unrest and two-month picketing of the headquarters was caused by the stalls in financing the counter-guerrilla operation and the procrastination of the Defence Ministry financial services. The so-called combat money are allocated in two-three months after the documents with the sums for payment come to Moscow.
All the dismissed servicemen have been long before notified that the money allocations are falling behind schedule. Major-General Stanislav Kondratyev, the district acting chief-of-staff told the picketing soldiers the same truth again Wednesday. They were also notified that all the questions concerning the money should be solved not here but in Mozdok where a special service has been established for that. Many of those who did come to Mozdok have already received their money. Many of the picketing contract soldiers said that they were waiting the interference of the police and wanted to show what this could lead to, the official said. But no clash occurred.
It is possible the conflict can be solved by presidential envoy to the Southern federal district Viktor Kazantsev. He intends to talk to the soldiers on Thursday. He is sure they will listen to his explanations.