General Believes Russia Should Not Completely Give Up Conscription

Russia should not completely give up conscription, and an optimum strength of the Russian Army must be 1.3 million servicemen, General Anatoly Kulikov said at "The Military and Society: Time of Change" conference, under way in Moscow. He said a 1.3-million-strong army would correspond to the real assessment of the situation in the country and beyond, as well as to existing threats to Russia's security. Approximately 30 percent of all servicemen must be drafted, the general said.