The Russian Ministry of Defense considers the sanitary-epidemiological situation with coronavirus infection in the Russian Armed Forces to be “unstable,” Kommersant writes with reference to a source familiar with the data, provided by the Ministry to the Russian government in late March.
Three servicemen tested positive for coronavirus as of March 30. They are a Warrant Officer born in 1994 who is being treated at home, a Colonel who is in “satisfactory condition” at a hospital in Kommunarka, and a Northern Fleet ensign who is being treated at the hospital.
It has been noted that all persons who have come into contact with the infected have been identified. In total, according to the newspaper, at least 133 servicemen were in contact with the virus carriers. They are all isolated and are under medical supervision.
Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on preparations for a possible increase in the number of people infected. Thus, military medical organizations prepared more than 4.8 thousand infectious beds, prepared 32 military hospitals, 11 of which (1,936 beds) “within four hours are ready to work in conditions of strict antiepidemic regime”. In addition, on March 30, the department began forming seven mobile hospitals with 100 beds each.
On March 30, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on army conscription for the period from April 1 to July 15. Citizens aged 18 to 27 years began to be conscripted. The total number of conscripts will amount to 135 thousand people. The Kremlin was thinking of postponing the spring conscription because of the pandemic, but Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu later said the conscription would go according to plan.
On April 5, recruiting station staff switched to remote work, recording data “remotely over the phone” to prevent conscripts and their relatives from coming to the recruiting stations. They are not being sent to the troops yet.
