MOSCOW. Feb 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian government on Thursday generally approved a bill on civil service as an alternative to conscription, Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko announced at a news conference after the Cabinet session.
She said the term of civil service aroused the greatest debate. It was decided that alternative service would be twice as long as army service, if a conscript chooses a civilian occupation, and 50% longer than army service, if a conscript agrees to take up a civilian position in an army unit.
However, Matviyenko said that the question of the length of civil service will be finalized during the State Duma's debate on the bill.