Conscripts from Chechnya take military oath

On August 5, Chechen young men, conscripted for military service in units of the 46^th brigade of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) a month ago, took a military oath. The solemn ceremony was held under the enhanced security measures in the territory of the memorial named after Akhmad Kadyrov in the centre of Grozny.

This year, for the first time in recent decades, in Chechnya, 150 persons were conscripted to the military service. They will serve in the 249^th special motorized battalion of interior troops, structurally belonging to the 46^th brigade of the internal troops of the Russian MIA, deployed in the republic on a permanent basis.

The military men emphasize that in Chechnya, many people wish to serve in the armed forces, and the competition among the recruits reached almost 100 persons for a place.

"In our republic, we had no large-scale military since the collapse of the Soviet Union, that is, since 1992. In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, a limited number of our conscripts were sent to military service, including those outside the republic. At present, we conducted the first conscription of recruits in all that time, although the number of people, who wish to serve in the army, is much higher, and we selected the best persons," emphasized a staff member of the Republic's military commissariat.

According to him, in total in Chechnya, more than 80,000 men of military age have been registered.

Parents of a conscript say that they have travelled to the unit where their son serves.

"Initially, we with my husband opposed the wish of our son to go to serve in the army; however, he still insisted on his wish. We were given the opportunity to visit the unit where the guys serve, and I should say that the conditions of service are very good there and their colleagues and commanders are also friendly to them, so all fears were dispelled. Our son already states that he wants to continue the service under contract or enter into a military institution of higher education. We have no principle objections. Moreover, he serves in the territory of Chechnya," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by the mother of one of the soldiers, who took the oath.