Russia’s Defense Ministry reveals its plans for the future

The 58th army units keep settling down in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It was stated by Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsin on January 9.

Earlier Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Nikolay Makarov said that the Russian military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be completed by the end of 2009 reminding once again that these bases were designed to protect the interests of Russia and the two republics. Now as the Nogovitsin's interview with RIA Novosti shows the deadlines are changed. Here is the quotation:

"Our bases fit-out in Abkhazia and South Ossetia will not be finished in 2009. It requires serious funding and we'll need fundamental fit-out. The 2009 term remains in force but the works will not be completed by that time. It is just the first stage". It is connected with the preparation of the bases for daily activities as the general says. The second stage deals with "operational use trial. And for this we need to build training areas for instance".

It's not all. Nogovitsin emphasized that the military authorities planned not only to create an infrastructure but to develop it specifying what was meant: "New training rooms, a new simulation training system and the creation of a combined simulation training complex for tryout of cohesion between the subunits in future and so on up to a possibility of strategic training exercises".

For the latter the general said that not only bases of the group deployed there would be needed but also for supplementary units that can be redeployed there for the exercise. "And this is another stage", - Nogovitsin concluded summing up the to-do list.

He also confirmed the information disseminated earlier that the bases would be initially set up in Gudauta district town of Abkhazia in the west of the republic, and in South Ossetia this is Tskhinval, the capital of the republic, and the district village of Java.

Reuters agency added its own information to Deputy Chief of the General Staff's words. According to it there is a fourth base with the fit-out already in progress. It is located in South Ossetia, close to the entrance into Roksky tunnel. The strategic ground for contract servicemen of the 693th regiment's third motor rifle battalion is being prepared there.

New winterized homes have been delivered to the 2000m locations. The contract servicemen willingly shared their impressions with the agency's reporter saying they had no complaints. According to them before that they had to serve under severe conditions and all seems to be almost comfy at the new base.

Print version