MOSCOW. July 4 (Interfax-AVN) - A competent source in the Russian General Staff told Interfax-Military News Agency Friday that the Defense Ministry blames military commissioners' offices and military staffs for the failure of the voluntary manning experiment in the 76th Pskov-based airborne division.
"The division has currently 60 percent of required professional personnel. Only the 104th Regiment has been fully manned. Thus, the previously planned schedule has failed, and the military commissioners' offices and military staffs who had failed their tasks are considered responsible for that," the source said.
According to the source, the Defense Ministry assigned 4,750 positions to be filled with volunteers.
"To date as few as 1,482 candidates, less than a third of the task, have signed contracts," the source said.
The blamed are accused of unsatisfactory advertisement of volunteer service. As a result, according to the Defense Ministry, about 900 men have come to the division from military commissioners' offices to see the environment and go back. Their transportation alone cost RUB2.5m (USD82,500).
As to conscripts offered professional service after the term of conscription, only 160 men of 2,000 required have agreed to that, according to the source.
He said that the Defense Ministry had assigned October 1, 2003 as a new deadline for full volunteer manning of the division.