ROSTOV-ON-DON. Nov 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Six stand-by units of more than 12,000 soldiers deployed in the North Caucasus military district will be transferred to a contract basis in 2005, Colonel Igor Konashenkov, the district's press service chief, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
"In compliance with the federal target program, it is planned to transfer six stand-by units comprising over 12,000 people that are stationed in the North Caucasus military district to a contract basis in 2005. Twenty army divisions and units consisting of more than 57,000 people will be manned by contract soldiers from 2008. Of them, over 46,000 sergeants and soldiers will serve under contracts," he said.
The bases of all troops to be transferred to a contract basis are being repaired at the moment, Konashenkov said. The federal target program assigns over 3.1 billion Russian rubles ($108.16 million) for this purpose in 2004, including 1.58 billion ($55.13 million) for construction of facilities in the 42nd motorized rifle division, permanently stationed in Chechnya.
As many as 53 social facilities are to be commissioned before the end of 2004 in the framework of the federal target program, he noted. Thirty-one of thee facilities are in Chechnya.