MOSCOW. June 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Defense Ministry is not planning to close the 124th central laboratory of medical criminalistic identification located in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Colonel General Ivan Chizh, head of the Defense Ministry main military medical department, said on Wednesday.
The ministry has never considered the issue, Chizh said.
"The laboratory is carrying out important work, it is identifying servicemen who have died in the Chechnya campaign or in emergency situations. All rumors on about its closure are groundless," the general stressed.
He noted that a lot of funds had been invested in the laboratory's establishment and support. New research and medical equipment was purchased to provide ensure a high level of activity.