Russia: October 1, 2004

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The Defense Ministry admitted that the conscription system had collapsed, with fewer than ten percent of eligible young men showing up for military service. The decline is not as dramatic as it sounds, ten years ago only 30 percent of those eligible were taken into the armed forces. About half the troops in the armed forces are conscripts, the rest are volunteers. Russia wants to put more money into troop pay, so the entire force can be volunteer, and conscription can be put aside for national emergencies. The government plans to increase defense spending by over 30 percent next year. 

 

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