Defence & Security
THEY FINALLY RECALLED ABOUT THE DEAD
An electronic database of the servicemen who have died during armed conflicts will be created in Russia in 2008
Authorities of the country finally turn their face to problems of servicemen who have died or have been missing in action. In early September, President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed the decree "On approval of the provision on the interagency commission for prisoners of wars, internees and missed in actions and on its composition" (presidential decree of September 11 of 2007). The commission was formed for comprehensive settlement of the issues related to citizens of Russia missing in action during defending the interests of the state, as well as foreign citizens lost on the territory of Russia. Colonel General Nikolai Reznik, advisor to the Defense Minister, was appointed as chair of the commission. On the part of the Defense Ministry the commission included the military memorial center, the main department of the General Staff and the institute of military history. In the commission it is planned to organize working groups "World War II," "war in Korea ," "war in Vietnam," "cold war" and "Caucasus." The commission plans to interact in its work with the Russian organizational committee Victory, soldiers' mothers committee, public organizations Echo of Moscow and Peacekeeping Mission named after General Lebed, as well as with the interagency coordinating council for commemoration of the memory of the dead defenders of the Fatherland, etc.
It turns out that the interagency commission for dead servicemen starts its work from certain deeds. A Russian-American conference dedicated to the role of the veteran organizations of Russia and the US in strengthening of international cooperation was held in Moscow recently. Major General Alexander Kirilin, director of the military memorial center of the Russian Armed Forces, spoke at the conference and announced that in 2008 Russia would create an electronic database on the servicemen who died in the course of armed conflicts on the territory of the CIS and in other "hot spots." Kirilin added, "After accomplishment of the electronic united database on the servicemen who died during World War II, we plan to create a similar database on all servicemen who died in the course of armed conflicts at the beginning of the 1990s after the breakup of the Soviet Union, as well as in other "hot spots" where combat operations were conducted." He emphasized that about 400 million rubles was allocated for the functioning of the electronic database in accordance with resolution of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
Kirilin remarked, "By the end of the year, we plan to accomplish the creation of an electronic database on the servicemen who died during World War II. We have already scanned more than 6.5 million lists with reports about irreversible losses. Of this quantity, data for 11.5 million people were downloaded into the electronic database." Speaking on future work of the joint Russian-American commission for prisoners of war, internees and missed in actions, Kirilin says that the new commission will have to find out fates of hundreds of thousands of Russian servicemen missed in action during World War II, as well as in Afghanistan, Korea, Tajikistan, Angola, Mozambique and in the North Caucasus.
The general pointed out, "Our commission, together with our American colleagues, will face gigantic work. We need to find out the fates of about 600,000 Soviet servicemen missed in action during World War II, more than 270 Soviet soldiers and officers in Afghanistan, more than 220 in Tajikistan, more than 600 in the North Caucasian region, as well as in other regions where were combat operations with participation of Soviet and Russian servicemen." Kirilin stressed that the first meeting of the new commission will be held in Moscow in the middle of November.
Translated by Pavel Pushkin