MOSCOW, February 8 (AVN) - The Russian Defence Ministry leadership received over 40,500 petitions in 2000, while 10,708 appeals were passed to it by the government administration, a spokesman for Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev's reception office said on Thursday.
Over 10,500 people came to the reception office in person last year, the spokesman told the Military News Agency.
In 1999, the military leaders received 40,166 letters, and 7,200 petitions were transferred to them by the government administration. As many as 10,462 people turned up at the reception office.
Most of the letters were written by recruits and professional servicemen, those retired from military service or transferred to the reserve, civil specialists of the Armed Forces, disabled people, WWII veterans, pensioners of the Defence Ministry and family members of the above-mentioned categories of people, the spokesman said.
Family members of dead servicemen willing to get financial aid, housing or pensions doubled the number of their appeals last year. The number of letters from servicemen willing to be transferred closer to their home continued growing. Reserve officers having housing problem were also writing more letters, but the number of complaints over back wages declined.