MOSCOW. Oct 15 (Interfax-AVN) - Reasons for draft deferments for Russian students have not been revised so far, Viktor Kozhushko, head of the draft section in the General Staff mobilization directorate, said on Wednesday.
"The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has been considering issues related to draft deferment for students for several years. However the deferments have not been revised on the legislative level," Kozhushko told a news conference at the Izvestia media center.
At the same time, the General Staff is working out some documents dealing with the deferments, he said. "This has to be done because this country will find itself the so-called demographic hole starting from 2006, and draft resources will decline dramatically, so we are forced to abolish some deferments," he noted.
According to Kozhushko, only five to ten percent of graduates of higher educational establishments are recruited for active-duty service. "The remaining 95 percent of ex-students find reasons for escaping the military service upon graduation from higher educational establishments," he said.