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Russian military presses for funding, raises threat of mutiny
October 25, 1996
Web posted at: 7:50 p.m. EDT (2350 GMT)MOSCOW (CNN) -- These are not good days in the Russian army. Many units have gone months without salaries, their soldiers increasingly frustrated and abandoned.
Now, with a new national budget in the works, military officers are pushing for the army to get a bigger slice of the pie. Friday, Defense Minister Igor Rodionov warned a group of army veterans that the military's chronic lack of funding was "taking the armed forces to the brink of undesirable, and even uncontrollable, developments."
And a group of general staff officers threatened to take military action if their overdue wages were not paid. Although Friday was their deadline for the government to act on their demand, nothing more has been heard from them.
Soldier: 'Does our government need us at all?'
On a good day, in the right unit, Russia's military is trained and tough, still full of rigor and discipline.
But there is no clearer example of the military's abandonment than at an airport near Moscow, where a pathetic group of a hundred or so unpaid border guards and their families were recently stuck for days, waiting for flights back to their base in the Far East.
Once, years ago, soldiers got priority seating on the national airline. No longer: "We're stuck here with kids, with almost no money. We are counting our last rubles just to buy some food for our children," said the wife of one soldier.
A man among the group demanded, "The question arises: does our government need us at all?"
Many are asking that question these days, as Russia seems unable to afford its huge military machine. In three years' time, the nation's defense spending has dropped by 45 percent, and still the defense ministry is $5 billion in debt.
Military coming up short on training funds
Now, the government is planning to eliminate one of every five military jobs. Such a drastic cut could free up some money to properly train those who remain. Western diplomats say Russian fighter pilots get less than a third of the flying time that American pilots do, nowhere near enough to keep them qualified.
What's more, with money for training short, some military men are being used for very unmilitary, and some would say demeaning, work. For example, army officers were recently commanded to help bring in the harvest in some towns.
"I'm actually used to being insulted. We have so many insults nowadays. Of course it hurts sometimes, but we are in the army, you know. We have to follow orders," said Capt. Vladimir Anatolyevich.
Yet officers returning from the disastrous war in Chechnya openly question how much longer they will follow orders. Many feel political bungling in the breakaway republic dealt the military its worst humiliation since Afghanistan.
Analysts discount the possibility that the military might be close to open revolt. "I don't think we will have a military rebellion," said the Russian Scientific Institute's Andrei Kortunov.
But, he said, the army might lose many of its best officers, which could prove to be equally dangerous, "because if you handle a nuclear missile and you are not qualified to handle it, of course it might create some problems."
U.S. concerned, but not unduly so
Nuclear armaments management is an issue that worries people far outside Russia's borders. However, for now, Defense Minister Rodionov's remarks about the possibility of "uncontrollable developments" are less worrisome for the United States than they might normally be.
Rodionov spoke to U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry just last week, and told him that speculation about a mutiny was quite overblown, Perry said.
"I think Minister Rodionov is in the best position to judge that, and he said no, it is not a concern of his," Perry said.
U.S. officials thus see Rodionov's latest statements more as a plea for funds as Russia's parliament prepares its budget, than a forecast of future insurrection. Nevertheless, many know there is great potential for disaster as Russia goes through the very painful process of downsizing its military.
Correspondent Jim Bitterman, Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre andReuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Six Russian generals dismissed - October 4, 1996
- West still concerned about Russia's nuclear weapons - June 17, 1996
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