Can you imagine a “Passenger Assistance Service” that would teach people how to travel without a ticket? And I had no idea. However, I came across a strange website called bluntly: “Conscript Assistance Center.” I thought: great, young guys didn’t have this luxury before. In preparation for military service, I had to go to the military registration and enlistment office several times, rely on the experience of my comrades who had served, and study the Internet resources of the Ministry of Defense. And now, apparently, all the news, recommendations, requirements, standards, etc. are collected in one place helpful information for a conscript. But one click and I was shocked. Yes, help was indeed offered there. But not in preparation for military service. And upon liberation from it! That is, openly, without hiding, some businessmen offer their services to those who are planning to avoid the sacred constitutional duty - to learn to defend the Motherland. I didn’t immediately believe that this wasn’t someone’s stupid joke.
Photo by Sergei Lozyuk
I called and introduced myself as a conscript: “The military registration and enlistment office is going to send me for a medical examination to determine my suitability. And I seem to be as healthy as an ox. Can something be done? - I ask in a desperate voice. The friendly manager reassured me and put everything into perspective: “Don’t worry, we’ll try to identify some kind of disease in you. Of course, it may not be there. But you have to try to find it. As a rule, a large percentage of conscripts have some kind of hidden illnesses. Come to our office and we’ll sign an agreement. Taking into account your medical documents and health complaints, we will conduct an in-depth study of problem areas. For now, our company's main focus is on health. But in the future, maybe we’ll come up with some legal tricks.” The price of help turned out to be substantial - 880 rubles. True, in the event of a fiasco, the company promises to return the money. By the way, the client must pay for visiting highly qualified doctors himself - about 50 rubles. There is even a special section on the company’s website where the mistakes of those who do not want to serve are discussed. They say that buying a military ID, running away from the police until you are 27, and forging medical certificates are bad options. Like, come to us right away. In general, on a suspicious page you can find a lot of things that cause confusion. In particular, they give advice that it is better to start dealing with the issue of evading service as early as possible. Great, they write, if you think about it at the age of 14.
Around this age, my classmates and I were taken to the military registration and enlistment office by a pre-conscription training teacher. Everyone was afraid of being unfit and being recognized as “disabled,” as he said. What now? Now young men are told by older men - owners of new businesses: “Why serve? Better prepare to be released from army school. And the sooner the better.” Moreover, the presentation of information is outrageous: it is constantly emphasized that all this is being done on absolutely legal grounds. Yes, in fact, there is a small percentage of young people whose health does not allow them to serve. Usually such guys are identified by a medical examination at the military registration and enlistment office. But to specifically look for any sore, in the hope of eliminating it?! In the past, such “services” were considered from the point of view of the Criminal Code... Another thing is harmful: today the younger generation is convinced that they can legally avoid joining the army, tomorrow they will offer not to pay taxes, the day after tomorrow - to avoid responsibility for open violation of the law. It is unlikely that the state is interested in such “education of youth.”
I wonder what the work of this institution is? Why do they charge a lot of money if the client himself must pay for medical services? Maybe for legal advice? Does the company, whose name is not hidden at all, have a license for this type of service? The response from the press secretary of the Ministry of Justice Olga Murashkovskaya made it clear: “Our ministry did not issue licenses to such companies to provide legal services.”
The Ministry of Defense is confident that we are talking about serious responsibility for the site owners. Head of the information department of the military department Vladimir Makarov:
There are immutable concepts established by the Constitution of the country. It says that defending the Motherland is the duty and sacred duty of a citizen of Belarus. The procedure for performing military service, the grounds and conditions for exemption from it are determined by law. And such sites essentially encourage people to avoid military service. I believe that attempts by some overly “entrepreneurial” structures to take on dubious functions of providing “assistance” to citizens in order to avoid conscription into the army should undoubtedly be the subject of an appropriate legal assessment by the competent authorities.
BY THE WAY
In Belarus, such organizations are just trying to take root. In Russia, many companies have proliferated offering to avoid military service. For money. Moreover, their websites look approximately the same. Many phrases are duplicated. Everyone emphasizes that the services are absolutely legal. They present themselves beautifully: as services or assistance centers for conscripts. Will we also follow a bad example?
The sending of recruits to the troops began in the country on November 15. In total, as part of the “Autumn 2018” campaign, about 10 thousand young people will join the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus within two weeks. MLYN correspondent. BY I took part in the first dispatch of newly minted soldiers in Borisov and learned in what mood the current conscripts go to serve.
By six in the morning, people begin to gather near the building of the Military Commissariat of the Borisov and Krupsky districts of the Minsk region.
Representatives of the Krishtop family were among the first to arrive. His parents, two grandmothers, an aunt and uncle and numerous friends came to see Arthur off to the service. And if the men look calm enough, the grandmothers do not stop crying.
“Don’t take my grandson,” Anna Ivanovna addresses me through tears.
But realizing that I am a journalist, he begins to tell:
I'm very worried about Arthur. Still, don’t live at home. Unusual. There is some kind of fear. I want it to be easy for him to serve. I thought that he would not be called up yet. After all, the boy graduated from the Borisov Polytechnic College and entered the university, albeit as a correspondence student. And then the summons came...
To be honest, I didn’t really aspire to join the army,” Arthur interrupts his grandmother, embarrassed by excessive care. - I will serve in a military unit in Kolodischi. Somehow there is no excitement, I’m serious. My friends have already given me a lot of advice, but I learned one thing for myself: in the army you need to remain yourself.
The parents fully support their son. Only mom Irina Nikolaevna has a hard time letting him go. Although the woman is holding back her tears, she is noticeably worried. The head of the family, Dmitry Sergeevich, is trying to calm her down. He, unlike his wife, is calm. This is understandable, because I myself served in Pechi, and even during the USSR, when they could be sent a thousand or two thousand kilometers from home. And here - almost home.
The Selyavko family stood out from the crowd. Mom Oksana in military uniform saw off her conscript son. It turned out that the woman serves in one of the military units Borisov garrison.
Why worry? - the mother in uniform answers the question with a question. - I am one hundred percent confident in my son. He is an adult guy, as they say, “not green.” Graduated from Borisov Polytechnic College. I think everything will be fine.
Pavel is in the same mood. He smiles and listens to the instructions of his mother, who wishes him smooth and calm service, and most importantly, good commanders. The conscript is more than satisfied with his fate; he will go to serve in Pechi, where, by the way, he himself asked to go.
Why Pechi? - anticipates my question. - My friends told me a lot about this part. Now it’s good to serve there, it’s calm, the part is indicative, and the house is nearby.
While they were talking, the Tsybulko family came up. Conscript Mikhail’s situation is practically the same as that of Arthur and Pavel: he has studied at the Novopolsk Agrarian and Economic College. He is aware of the responsibility of the service and is calm.
I think time will fly by quickly, and if I like it, I’ll stay on a contract basis,” Mikhail confidently states. - Since childhood, I dreamed of wearing a uniform and protecting people. I hope everything works out.
The conscript’s girlfriend, Elizaveta Gonchar, is also wet-eyed. She cried all night. She admitted that she didn’t want to let go.
Arthur Volchanin knows about the army only from the stories of Father Vitaly.
I’m worried about my son, he lived with us all the time,” admits mother Irina. - I think he can handle the routine. But it may be difficult to sew on the collar. I didn’t hold the thread and needle in my hands.
By seven, about 15 people gather on the platform in front of the military registration and enlistment office. Before the bus leaves for regional center There are only a few minutes left, so conscripts take advantage of their free time and communicate with their families.
The touching moment is interrupted by the collection team at the military registration and enlistment office. Here the guys were seated in the assembly hall and given the necessary instructions.
...As soon as the bus with the future soldiers started moving, someone's mother quietly cried...
This is the first autumn conscription sent out in Borisov. That’s why it takes place in a solemn atmosphere, with a military orchestra playing for the young guys.
All recruits already know where they will serve. Today's conscripts will join the best troops special purpose, the future elite of the Armed Forces,” says Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Kovalenko, head of the conscription department of the military commissariat of the Borisov and Krupsky districts of the Minsk region. - After all, you know, the strongest guys go on the first day, they will staff the best military units that require increased physical training.
Already during the selection process at the draft board we see what the young man is like. Getting into the army is not so easy. You need to have good health. After all, only a physically and mentally healthy person can fully perform military service.
At the draft board, you can feel the difference: when a young man comes only after school, and when he comes after college, university, and even with work experience, shares Sergei Kovalenko. - The latter clearly understand where they want to serve. After all, some people want to serve in Borisov, closer to home, and others, vice versa, further away, so as not to disturb their parents. We meet them halfway, and in most cases they end up in the part where they wanted.
The vast majority of conscripts from Borisov and Krupshchina treat military service as befits real men - responsibly. Many understand that it will be an additional bonus in their future lives. And not only for those who, say, are thinking about working in law enforcement agencies in the future. At enterprises and organizations, they also give preference to people who have military training, who know how to quickly join a team, and have the skills to act in a team.
Until the end of November, every day we will send about 20 guys to military units of the republic.
At the same time, the guys who served their time are saying goodbye to “life according to the rules.” Among these guys is Corporal Stanislav Koleda. He has four days left before demobilization. Exactly a year ago he came to serve in the 740th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.
People like me in the army are called “one-year-olds,” shares Stanislav. - And all because I have higher education and you only had to serve for a year. After university, I went on assignment to my native Soligorsk. I am a mining engineer by training. And then a summons from the military registration and enlistment office. Took it for granted. The thought of leaving, running away did not even arise. I’m used to the fact that if “necessary” means “necessary!”
To be honest, when I arrived at the 740th Regiment, the first thing that pleasantly surprised me was the barracks itself. As it turns out, the place had just been renovated. The hardest part was joining the team. But my experience, albeit small, of study and work, helped me. Psychologically, I was more prepared for military service than yesterday's high school graduate. The only thing was that it was difficult to get used to a constant daily routine and three meals a day. At home I liked to cook for myself, I ate five to six times a day. That's why I lost weight first. But within a month I adapted.
In general, the most important thing is to be positive. Then you will definitely find “your” sergeant, commander, who will help you join the team and figure everything out.
The guy is already expected in his native Soligorsk.
I contacted the personnel department of my enterprise in Soligorsk, and they are already waiting for me to work, reports Stanislav. “I had a lot of time to think about what military service meant to me.” And I came to the conclusion that there is no way without an army. This is where a person becomes a citizen, a man. Here human qualities are strengthened: courage, discipline, responsibility.
It remains to wish the guys happy service.
Additionally
In accordance with the decision of the Minister of Defense, in the educational institution “Military Academy of the Republic of Belarus”, from November 2018, an information technology company will be formed from conscripts with higher education in specialized IT specialties. The relevant regulatory documentation is still being developed, but special jobs are already being prepared and all the necessary conditions for the work of IT conscripts.
Alena DROZDOVSKAYA
5 7
If we compare armies different countries, then each of them has its own peculiarity. If we talk about the army of the Republic of Belarus, then it has its own zest. The term of military service is tied to the presence of higher education. To be specific, it turns out that if a conscript has a higher education, he serves for 12 months, if his education is lower, up to 18 months. If a young man graduated from an institute with a military department, the period is reduced to 6 months.
What's next?
In 2014, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus stated that there was no need to change the terms of military service. It still adheres to this line. In the coming years, 2017–2018 There will be no changes related to the terms of conscript service. As the employees said General Staff that the country's needs for conscript soldiers are fully met.
The current conscription campaign has fully fulfilled the conscription plan. If you suddenly have to reduce the service life, this will reduce the grounds for deferment. And this will primarily hit higher education students educational institutions. Although in more than one country, the length of service is not tied to the presence of a higher education in a soldier. In addition, a Belarusian young man has the right to learn a military specialty while being in the reserves. Conscripts in the reserve are specialists in their profession, who are valued and respected at work. They have the right to go to military training periodically, without interrupting their main place of work. The list of professions included in the reserve includes more than 10 specialties.
The period of military service does not include:
- the period that the conscript spent in arrest;
- time spent in the guardhouse;
- the period of unauthorized abandonment of military service, regardless of the reasons;
- time of service under a contract, if the soldier has not fully served his military service and terminated the contract early.
A serviceman of the Republic of Belarus is serving in military positions: soldier, sailor, sergeant major, sergeant, warrant officer, officer and midshipman.
A military man has the right to occupy strictly one position. The President of the Republic of Belarus appoints and dismisses the Minister of Defense and other heads of government agencies.
Demography
Due to the demographic situation in the Republic of Belarus, the number of conscripts is decreasing. Therefore, deferments from military service were canceled for students who were studying abroad, part-time students or young men on distance learning. As a result, the military registration and enlistment offices fulfilled the conscription plan.
In Belarus, the system of recruiting the Armed Forces, which includes conscripts and contract soldiers, does not change. Recently, more and more soldiers who have been transferred to the reserve after military service are entering into a contract to remain in the ranks Armed Forces The Republic of Belarus. Now their number has exceeded 5 thousand soldiers and sergeants.
In June 2015, the Law “On Alternative Service” was adopted in the Republic of Belarus. It came into force in July 2016. The main law of the BR is the Constitution. It spells out all the rights of citizens, but in addition to rights there are also responsibilities. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, defense of the state is the sacred duty of a citizen. Due to different circumstances and different health conditions, not all young men have such an opportunity; some do not serve family circumstances, and some simply avoid military service. Among the draft dodgers there are physically developed young men who, for their moral reasons, cannot deal with weapons, military equipment. This goes against their religious principles. For this layer of citizens, the Government of the Republic introduced alternative service in the army.
When submitting a summons, such a young man has every right 10 days before the end of the conscription campaign to submit an application to the military registration and enlistment office. It is considered by the commission directly in his presence.
The draft commission makes a decision based on the testimony of the conscript, oral information from witnesses, materials and documents confirming his religious direction. The law also lists the grounds under which alternative service is refused.
The conscript will have to undergo alternative service in those territories where the Ministry of Labor and social development. He will have to temporarily change his place of residence, where temporary housing and a place of work will be provided. This service will take place at the facilities social sphere. Work week will be 48 hours, and the period of civil service will be twice as long as urgent service. That is, if the conscript has a higher education for two years, and if not, then for three whole years. So when deciding to serve on an alternative basis, the conscript needs to weigh the pros and cons.
Thus, it became clear that the deadline military service in the army of the Republic of Belarus will not change. It will remain at the same values in 2017-2018.
Video: Duration of military service in the army of Belarus
The autumn conscription is taking place in Belarus. Thousands of young people are drafted into the army. Regional commissions are already working, dispatches to military units will begin on November 15 and end on November 30, for those who will serve in the reserves - November 22-23.
What has changed for conscripts, what diseases do they now go into the army with, and what new things await those who are “on the way”? And is there any reason to fear the army?
The state's fall order for this year is more than 9 thousand recruits, the Ministry of Defense reports. About 2 thousand more young people will serve in the reserves (receive a military specialty without interruption from their main activities). Today, the majority of military medical commissions have fulfilled their quota of recruits. “We are fulfilling the state order. Believe me, we have a lot of boys who want to serve. We have many more of them than, according to the presidential decree, we are supposed to send them to the troops.”, says a specialist working with teenagers and conscript students of the Health Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee Tatiana Grazhul.
At the same time, today great amount drafted young people received social deferments: “We can call up 15 thousand people to the draft commissions, but at best 4-5 make it to medical examination,” says the specialist, “all the rest receive social deferments according to various reasons: master's degree, Small child, two children, disabled parents, priests, a village teacher... The state provides a colossal number of deferments - only I know 22 of them.”
“In our country, the largest number of deferments in the world are in effect, and will be in effect according to for various reasons“We take the guys’ interests into account as much as possible.”, - confirms the head of the information department of the Ministry of Defense Vladimir Makarov.
During this campaign, which began on August 2, we recruited 100 thousand people, says Vladimir Matveevich. But, including service in the reserves, 11 thousand people will go to serve. "The rest, as a rule, have legal grounds for deferment, mainly for continuing education,” the interlocutor clarified.
Medical reasons for deferment are only in second place. Data on how many young people dropped out this year after a medical examination will be available at the Ministry of Health a little later, experts say. But today we can already say, notes the Deputy Chairman of the Health Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee Nikolay Skovorodko, which, given medical advances and improved diagnosis of diseases, is found in young people more than before.
Tatyana Grazhul notes that, as before, this year the main reasons for the unfitness of young people for the army are congenital pathologies, scoliosis and flat feet.
“We expect a demographic failure,” so" there will be more suitable ones "
By the way, this year the list of diseases for which young people are considered unfit for military service has been reduced. So those who were previously unfit to join the army will now serve. In accordance with the joint resolution of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Health of August 1, 2012 No. 33/85 Now hypertensive patients, as well as guys with second-degree scoliosis with a deviation angle of up to 10 degrees in the supine position, cannot count on a deferment. “If previously we took pictures in a standing position, now we take pictures in a lying position - we evaluate the angle of scoliotic deformity,”- says Tatyana Grazhul.
“Now we will call on young people with peptic ulcer disease, however, if the guy does not have perforation or bleeding, and exacerbations occur no more than once a year and do not require long-term treatment, she added. - People with chronic cholecystitis will also be accepted into the army, but again, this will depend on the course of the disease and the number of exacerbations.".
What is causing this expansion of “suitable” diseases? “We expect a demographic failure in the coming years. Therefore, actions are being taken to expand the eligibility criteria.”, says Grazhul.
Doctors themselves look at this positively: "We take all changes well. Rest assured, the healthy serve us, and the sick do not serve, - assured the interlocutor. - Our state is so loyal: with a scoleotic deformation angle of 11 degrees, a guy can work as a tiler, tiler, or tractor driver, but they won’t take him to serve in the army.”
Many young people who were fit with restrictions (they could not serve in all branches of the military) became fit, says Grazhul. “I can give an example: previously, people with caries were not accepted into the honor guard company, but now there are not enough of them; they will serve in this company with caries. Agree, with current technologies, this is not a problem.”
Vladimir Makarov says that, despite the expected demographic gap (according to Belstat, in 2002 there were 376 thousand children under 17 in Belarus, in 2012 - 216 thousand), there will be no problems with staffing the troops.
Complaints are verified
“If a conscript does not have any complaints about his health, then he comes to the medical commission from the clinic at his place of residence with a minimum number of examinations. This includes fluorography, electrocardiography, general analysis blood, general urine analysis and extract from the outpatient card", says Grazhul.
“Directly when passing the medical commission, young people can present any complaints, and the guy will be immediately examined using the most modern methods diagnostics in any hospital or dispensary without any queue in order to establish a clinical and functional diagnosis and further determine the category of suitability", says Grazhul.
After suffering an acute illness, a conscript is given a temporary deferment for a period of one month to one year. “After pneumonia, believe me, no one will draft a conscript into the army; most likely, he will join the army in the next conscription - it all depends on the severity of the pneumonia.”. Conscripts with a body mass index of less than 18.5 receive a six-month deferment. “We refer such young people to fibrogastroscopy, Holter monitoring, bicycle ergometry, consultation with an endocrinologist - we are looking for the cause of insufficient body weight,” says Grazhul. “If we don’t find pathologies that cause low body weight, the guy will leave to serve after the end of the deferment.”.
The flow of patients at the mental health center increases during conscription
As the director of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health told a TUT.BY journalist, that in Novinki, Sergey Igumnov, during conscription, the number of patients in the psychiatric hospital increases. “The appeal gives us a slight increase in clients - this is a fact. At the moment, our hospital is filled to capacity. In 2011, as part of the appeal campaign, about 1,300 young people were sent to the mental health center for examination. They are examined at the institution from 10 days to 2 weeks ", says Igumnov.
By the way, changes to the law on mental health care that will affect conscripts are being discussed. First of all, experts want to reduce the deferment granted to guys with such problems from a year to six months. “While we are forming and coordinating proposals, military psychiatrists and psychiatrists from the Ministry of Health have agreed with them. This is a serious document that will later influence the destinies of people.”, - noted Skovorodko.
Dodgers
Over the past 5 years, the number of army evaders has halved. The Ministry of Defense reports that there are no more than 1% of those subject to conscription. “It's not that serious problem, although young people should know that any violation will sooner or later be stopped.”, noted the Ministry of Defense.
In 2012, more than 50 officials were brought to disciplinary liability, 6 people received administrative punishment, and more than 50 were officially warned about the inadmissibility of repeated violations of the legislation on military service. As a result of inspections, military prosecutors introduced more than 80 acts of prosecutorial supervision, BELTA reports with reference to the General Prosecutor's Office of Belarus. "The main reasons for evading military service were personal indiscipline and irresponsibility of offenders, a poorly developed sense of civic and military duty",” noted the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The Ministry of Defense reminds that according to Article 435 of the Criminal Code, evasion of conscription for military service is punishable by a fine or arrest for up to 6 months or restriction (imprisonment) of freedom for up to 2 years, evasion by deliberate self-harm, feigning illness or forgery of documents or otherwise entails restriction (deprivation) of freedom for up to 5 years.
Why shouldn't you be afraid of the army?
Psychologists now work everywhere in military units, says Vladimir Makarov. “The recruit is provided with psychological assistance in adapting to new conditions.”
“We were the first in the post-Soviet space who, back in 1996, introduced a socio-psychological structure and began to prepare professional psychologists for the army"“, Makarov noted, adding that if in 1994 there were about 40 suicides in the army alone per year, then in 2011 there were two such cases throughout the country, and "they were determined by the family situation." "By the way, we usually do not publish this data, because there are precedents in foreign countries, when details of such cases were published, and this provoked new ones,”- the interlocutor clarified.
“Once we voiced the figure that if not for the measures that were taken when our president became Commander-in-Chief, then at least 2,000 young people from the army would have returned with a load of 200 - that is, they would have died. Today the situation is radically different.”, notes Makarov.
The total number of crimes in the army today is also small. The official figure is 2.7 crimes per year per 1 thousand people, notes the head of the information department of the Ministry of Defense. “We, of course, have not reduced crime to zero, but it is incomparably lower than in countries near and far abroad, he says. - By the way, most countries do not publish these figures. We have them open.".
Makarov said that “Three years ago, a figure was “slipped” that in the USA there were only deserters in ground forces- 9 per thousand people. We have unauthorized absences today - this is a hundredth part of all crimes in the army.".
“The facts are that more than 70% of our military units live without crime - these are the figures for last year.”“, Makarov summed up, noting that this is an indicator by which one can judge the maintenance of morale and the state of affairs in the army.