ST.PETERSBURG. May 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Military commandant's offices of the Russian Northwest have implemented the spring draft plan by 80 percent, spokesman for the Leningrad military district headquarters Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor Sarayev said on Monday.
More than 10 percent of citizens subject to active-duty service have been dispatched to military units, Sarayev told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"The dynamics of the draft shows that the military commandant's offices in cooperation with executive authorities of Russian regions and local self-government bodies are capable of accomplishing missions related to recruitment to active-duty service," Sarayev said.
"A considerable decrease in the quality of draft resources has been registered, which is true for all quality parameters, these being education, health, morale and physical training," the spokesman stressed. According to him, the number of orphans exceeds 35 percent of conscripts; more than 16 percent of conscripts are under observation of law-enforcement agencies or have a criminal record; almost 12 percent of people subject to conscription have been convicted.
"About 2,500 of people subject to recruitment are registered with drug addiction treatment facilities, but the figure is five times smaller than the true number of potential recruits that are addicted to drugs to a certain extent. The goal to prevent recruitment of drug addicts is among the most important ones for draft and medical boards," Sarayev said.
Over 1,300 medical experts and more than 400 doctors are involved in medical examination of people subject to conscription.
A total of 117 district and city draft boards, six regional draft boards, the St. Petersburg city draft boards and draft boards of the Karelian and Komi autonomous republics are operating in the Russian Northwest.