In Irkutsk, spring summer draft recruits began to be sent off. 355 young men from the Sverdlovsky and Leninsky districts will serve in the Air Force, airborne and infantry troops.

They will serve in the Air Force, airborne, and infantry units.
On the eve of departure, military enlistment office staff told the parents when and how they could speak with the boys in the near future, what winter clothing could be sent to the unit, and what problems might arise in the first period of service.
“The first to go into the army are the guys who have completed their studies or lost their right to deferment. Among the conscripts there are also those who themselves wanted to join the army,” said Anatoly Mikhailov, head of the department of the military commissariat of the Irkutsk Region for the Sverdlovsky and Leninsky districts.
Six months before the draft, the future soldiers had the opportunity to study for free at DOSAAF and obtain driver’s licenses of categories B and C, complete courses for fuel truck operators, APC drivers, and truck crane operators. In 2013, 120 boys took advantage of this right.
Before departure, a ceremonial rally took place at the entrance of the military enlistment office.
Roman Mashkov, a representative of the regional association of combat veterans, emphasized that Siberians are always respected in the army and wished the boys to carry this title with honor. The boys were congratulated by Galina Rodina, deputy chair of the committee for the administration of the Sverdlovsky district. Kind words before the journey were said to the boys by Lyudmila Karpova, chair of the committee of soldiers’ mothers of the Irkutsk Region. She noted that the boys can contact the parents’ committee hotline at 8-800-700-39-52.
Vasily Rudyuk, chairman of the board of the council of disabled veterans and veterans of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Irkutsk Region, addressed the recruits: “Today we all wish you to serve the Motherland with honor. Be real men, respect one another, do good, study, and do not be lazy. Remember that the time will come when you will see your own children off to the army. Do not forget your parents and loved ones.”
Sergey Domashenko is seeing his son off to the army. “In May, Alexey will turn 19. It’s hard to part with him; at home he is always in front of our eyes, but on the other hand, he needs to serve in the army. We hope he will mature,” says the father.
Mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and girlfriends stand to the side, with tears in many eyes. Katya is seeing her friend Dmitry off to the army and is more worried than his mother.
“I will write letters every day, I will wait so it will be easier for him there,” she says.
The recruits mostly look cheerful and are in good spirits.
“Good mood, positive. I wanted to join the army,” said Denis Zhelezkov. “I came to the military enlistment office myself after graduating from the river school. I will serve in the Air Force; I think that is promising.”
The spring-summer draft lasts from April 1 to July 15. During this period, 355 boys from the Sverdlovsky and Leninsky districts will go to serve in the army.
Based on materials from the press service of the administration of the city of Irkutsk