Russia will no longer include free cigarettes in its food rations for servicemen but will compensate by providing them with candy, according to a top general.
“We are no longer buying cigarettes for the armed forces and are replacing them with caramel and sugar,” Lieutenant-General Dmitry Bulgakov was quoted by news agencies as saying.
He specified however that Russia was not banning smoking in the military.
“Naturally, if a soldier wants to smoke we can’t forbid this. But now he’ll have to buy cigarettes in stores,” Bulgakov said. “If you want to smoke, then smoke. If you don’t want to smoke, eat candy.”
Bulgakov also announced defense ministry plans to provide military officers who work mainly indoors or in hot climates with new uniforms, including socks that let feet “breathe” and shoes “of high-quality leather.”
However, after being issued a complete uniform kit at the start of service officers will afterwards have to purchase new uniform components themselves, albeit from special military stores open only to officers and their families.
The Russian military has rung the changes in recent years. Its decision to introduce updated, higher-quality uniforms to Russian military personnel was made in 2007, and were scheduled to be issued this year.
However, while a few units have received new uniforms — notably those that marched on the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square — the project has been delayed due to defense ministry budget cuts.
Defense chiefs now planned to phase in the new uniforms over the next two to three years, Bulgakov said.(AFP)
一位俄國高級將領表示，未來軍人定量配糧將不再提供免費香菸，取而代之的是免費糖果。
新聞媒體引述陸軍中將迪米崔．保加科夫的話說：「我們不再為軍隊購買香菸，將改買牛奶糖和食糖。」
然而，他明確表示俄國軍方並沒有禁止官兵吸菸。
保加科夫說：「若士兵要抽菸，我們當然不會禁止，但他得自己掏腰包買菸。如果想抽菸，就抽菸；但如果不想抽菸，就吃糖果吧。」
保加科夫同時宣佈，國防部打算發新制服給主要在室內或炎熱環境中工作的軍官，其中包括「會呼吸」的襪子和「高級皮革」的鞋子。
然而，軍官在服役初期會收到一套完整的制服，之後即使是去專為軍官和其眷屬開設的軍用品店，還是得自己花錢買新的軍服配件。
俄國軍方最近幾年大幅革新。他們在二ＯＯ七年決定引進符合時代潮流的高品質軍服給俄國官兵，這批新制服預訂於今年發放。
然而，在若干部隊（五月九日衛國戰爭勝利日在紅場上遊行的特定部隊）領到新制服後，這項計畫就因國防部預算遭到縮減而延期。
保加科夫表示，國防部總司令現在打算在接下來的兩三年內，分批進行新制服的發放作業。（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
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