The head of the union of servicemen Oleg Shvedkov believes that the country needs a full mobilization of the economy and societyUnfortunately, there are problems of social protection of servicemen and their family members in Russia.
And they are not always solved as quickly as the situation requires. The state in the conditions of a special military operation (SVO) is trying to quickly fix many of them. But, as practice shows, it is sometimes difficult to do this without the help of public organizations protecting the interests of the military.
Oleg Shvedkov, chairman of the Central Committee of this organization, Captain of the 1st rank, retired, told the NG journalist Vladimir Mukhin about the participation of the All-Russian Trade Union of Military Personnel (OPSV) in this process.
– Oleg Konstantinovich, how did the special operation affect the work of your organization?– I think that the word "cardinally" is the most accurate answer.
Previously, when Russian law enforcement agencies did not participate in hostilities, our main priorities were issues of improving the regulatory framework of the social protection system for military personnel, citizens discharged from military service, and their family members, responding to violations of their rights by individual commanders and superiors, issues of social adaptation, etc.
But almost all of this has faded into the background after February 2022. Today we have focused on helping to solve the social, organizational and other problems of military personnel participating in hostilities: mobilized, volunteers, contractors, as well as their family members. A considerable part of the activities of the OPSV is the collection and dispatch of humanitarian and other aid to the combat zone, as well as military-patriotic work in society.
– Can you give specific examples?– When the so–called liberated territories appeared in the spring of 2022, and with them thousands of people with elementary human problems, we, as a member organization of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, were aimed at solving the humanitarian problems of the population.
Like most other public organizations, they collected the necessary things and sent them to these regions. But after a while, wounded servicemen began to arrive from the combat zone, and our trade union members began to talk about the real situation at the front. And we realized that our task is to help our soldiers. On this occasion, we held several meetings of the executive committee of the OPSV, and following their results, the chairman of the trade union, Andrei Poleshchuk, instructed territorial organizations to reorient our work to military personnel participating in hostilities.
Today, this activity has become a priority. Our organizations have sent more than a hundred shipments of various military items (PVN) necessary for a real battle to the combat areas. These are quadrocopters, night vision devices, body armor, unloading, sights and even cars. These are specially assembled first aid kits, various types of uniforms, shoes, flashlights, personal hygiene items, camouflage nets. And of course, food and water. Our territorial organizations of the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, Crimea, Sevastopol, Adygea, Moscow, and other cities and regions where the activities of the OPSV were organized took an active part in this activity. This work continues to this day. And it will continue until peace comes.
– Where does your organization get the funds for this? Is it possible to name the amount that OPSV spent to help our defenders?– It is difficult to name the total specific amount.
After all, our regional trade union organizations are financially autonomous. They report to us by the amount of PVN, resources, and not by money. But I will not be mistaken if I say: several hundred million rubles worth of military aid was purchased and sent by the organizations of the OPSV for the front. These funds come from other organizations, from businessmen, enterprises and firms, from ordinary citizens, from retired veterans who interact with the OPSV, as well as from the membership fees of trade unionists.
– Why are some public organizations, initiative groups and just caring people engaged in fundraising and purchasing PVN and sending them to our defenders? And what is the role of the state in this matter?– There is nothing unusual in the fact that public organizations and all the people help the front.
During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR also organized military aid and fundraising for our troops fighting fascism. And in this sense, we continue the traditions that our people and our society have. And why are the troops so acutely, for example, lacking drones, sights, etc. – you need to ask the military leadership about this. Probably, those "military reforms" that every regular defense minister proudly told us about were going in the wrong direction.
– And what issues can and does the OPSV solve?– A lot of current issues are being resolved.
For example, the first half of 2022… Thousands of volunteers went to Ukraine. When they were sent to the combat area, organizational violations were massively allowed: someone was not given a contract, someone left to fight without any paperwork, just according to the compiled personal lists. And this later entailed a lot of problems in such matters as the payment of monetary allowances, treatment in military hospitals, subsequent rehabilitation, registration of certificates of a combat veteran ... Here we used all our resources: interaction with military authorities, military prosecutor's office, military commissariats, etc.
– By the way, there were a lot of complaints about military enlistment offices in the media. How did the OPSV manage to organize interaction and joint work with them?– Yes, indeed, the partial mobilization announced in the Russian Federation last autumn exacerbated a lot of problems in our military enlistment offices.
The so-called "Serdyukovskaya" reform, as it turned out, made them unprepared to effectively solve the problem of conscription and sending reservists to the front in the required volume. There were many failures, errors, violations.
Our activists, who help reservists solve legal issues, had to intervene in such problems as violation of the age limit of the mobilized, their compliance with the requirements of the military accounting specialty or health status. We worked in close contact with the military prosecutor's office, commanders of military units, military commissars at the level of the region or the republic.
These problems have now been largely resolved or are being solved. But there are issues that the Ministry of Defense should resolve in the very near future. Computerization, digitalization is very good. But "dispersed" military commissars, beggarly salaries of employees – this is unacceptable.
At the beginning of the partial mobilization, many questions arose from those mobilized about their work, business, and families. Many questions had to be addressed to deputies, the legislature. And the State Duma solved many of them quite quickly.
– How do you assess the work to increase the motivation of defenders of the Fatherland in the SVO zone? Are there any problems here?– As a political worker with experience who passed the school of the Soviet submarine fleet, I will say that combat motivation consists of both moral and material incentives.
A lot of work in this area should be organized. And as a fragment of it, I will note the role of the OPS in raising the morale of our wounded soldiers, those who were preparing to return to service again. OPSV activists were the first to initiate patronage concerts in military sanatoriums and rest homes for soldiers and officers undergoing rehabilitation – after all, the Ministry of Defense initially held them only in hospitals. These concerts were held by our professional asset and other public organizations. Local administrations were also connected.
Our activists have held dozens of military-patriotic and memorial events in all regions where there are OPSV organizations. These are "lessons of courage", rallies, mournful ceremonies for the burial of the dead. We actively interact with the families of our servicemen: these are humanitarian and financial assistance, discount cards, joint promotions, etc.
Many of our organizations are actively involved in the process of retraining citizens for military service. This work is being carried out especially successfully in the Krasnodar Territory, St. Petersburg, Adygea, Komi. These are classes in combat tactics, tactical medicine, psychological trainings, etc. The classes are taught by guys who fought in the combat zone or have a huge military experience of previous years.
– Did a lot of union members leave for the SVO zone?– We have never advertised the figure of how many union members we have serving under contract.
But this is about 30% of the members of our organization. And these are all contractors. A lot of guys left as volunteers, a lot were mobilized. There are those who are fighting or fought in the PMCS "Wagner". By the way, we have established close contacts with representatives of this organization. Just a few days ago, the territorial organization of the St. Petersburg Military Police took the initiative to perpetuate the memory and exploits of the Wagner fighters. And to install in St. Petersburg on the square of the Proletarian Dictatorship a monument dedicated to their participation in the SVO.
– And what can't be solved where there is a lot of bureaucracy? Does the material factor affecting combat motivation work?– Unfortunately, there are also enough problems in this area.
Back in May 2022, the trade union raised the issue of the need to create a single DNA database for all our servicemen. It is well known that after the bloody battles, many unidentified bodies of our defenders appeared. The leadership of the Ministry of Defense is also concerned about this situation. After all, there are only two centers under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense where this examination can be carried out – and, for example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has almost 150 of them. But in order to solve this issue, in our opinion, it is necessary to finance in the military budget in a separate line. We brought these proposals to the deputies of the State Duma. Unfortunately, this issue has not been resolved yet.
We have constantly raised the problem of inequality in the monetary allowance of military personnel, volunteers and mobilized. There is no explanation for the situation when an officer preparing a mobilized person for combat operations at the training ground receives a salary twice lower than his ward, and an officer in a combat zone receives a salary almost equal to the mobilized one. This caused serious tension in the military collectives.
We constantly brought our position to the legislators, indicated it in the press. The April instructions of the President to the government, the State Duma and the security forces on this issue are extremely important.
We raised the problem of receiving funds by family members mobilized by proxy. Many of them did not have time to leave notarial powers of attorney for their wives and relatives. And there are no notaries in the war. They offered to certify these powers of attorney with the seal of the commanders of the units – such an opportunity existed in the USSR.
– And how would you briefly formulate: what do we need to win today?– The political leadership of Russia has formulated two goals of its own: denazification and demilitarization of the enemy.
It is impossible to achieve them without the complete surrender of the Kiev regime. It is possible to bring Kiev to surrender, although it is very difficult – but for this, in my opinion, politicians should not interfere with the military to fight.
The fighting in the SVO zone has shown that the military doctrine of the state needs a serious revision. As well as the entire educational process for our soldiers, and above all for the officers.
I will also add that the grandfather's slogan "Everything is for the front, everything is for victory" works poorly in the state. And this is the most important domestic political problem.
But there is a firm belief that we will solve the problems, that victory will be ours.
Vladimir Mukhin
Nezavisimaya Gazeta columnist