MOSCOW, March 6 (AVN) - Federal sappers operating in Chechnya are entitled to a bonus for each explosive device they defuse, Lieutenant-General Vladimir Ryabinov, head of the engineering department in the Interior Ministry troops headquarters, said on Tuesday.
The bonus is to make up to three percent of the salary paid to an officer in his first position after graduation, Ryabinov told the Military News Agency. Unfortunately, some commanders neglect this incentive, he said.
The sappers engaged in mine clearance are also entitled to a premium that makes 25 to 50 percent of the salary they receive for occupying their posts, Ryabinov said. The premium is paid for special conditions of service.
According to Ryabinov, field engineers of the Interior Ministry troops alone destroy two to three landmines a day in Chechnya. Federal engineering units have disarmed over 800 landmines since the beginning of the anti-guerrilla operation in the North Caucasus, losing 39 servicemen killed and 90 injured.