Russian Parliament Will Consider Inquiries To The Premier And Prosecutor General Concerning Facts Of Recruiting Russian Citizens For Participation In The Operation On The Territory Of Afghanistan

The State Duma (the lower house of parliament) plans to consider at its plenary session two parliamentary inquiries -- to prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov and to prosecutor general Vladimir Ustinov concerning facts of recruiting Russian citizens for participation in the military operation in Afghanistan. The initiator of these inquiries, chairman of the State Duma defence committee, Andrei Nikolayev told RIA Novosti yesterday that these inquiries were explained by some media reports on the facts of recruiting Russian citizens for participation in the military operation in Afghanistan. The inquiries, Nikolayev pointed out, contain a request to the prime minister and prosecutor general to give corresponding explanation concerning the official position of Russia on mercenariness. Nikolayev did not rule out that the answer to his inquiries "will possibly be a statement that the Russian Federation does not recommend that its citizens join such formations". In any case, he said, the deputies should know the attitude of our country to this problem and whether Russia encourages mercenariness or not. Nikolayev has pointed out that Russia today does not have a legislative base which would regulate the question of mercenariness. He firmly came out against mercenariness. According to him, "if a man is to go to war to earn his living this does not do credit to the state whose citizen he is. Russia has a lot to export apart from people capable of using arms," Nikolayev stressed.