Staffing Ukraine's army with contract servicemen will cost over $4 billion in next four years - defense minister
KYIV. Oct 17 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Defense Minister Pavel Lebedev has pointed out positive tendencies in the staffing of the country's Armed Forces with contract servicemen.
"The number of contract servicemen has increased by 3,700 people this year (including discharged servicemen) and reached 49,100 servicemen as of September 1. It's 58.3% of all soldiers and sergeants," Lebedev said in an exclusive interview with Interfax.
Lebedev recalled that the last conscripts were sent to the reserves on October 14. "Thus, our Navy now fully staffs the positions of sailors, solders, sergeants, and with contract servicemen," he said.
The minister said the tendencies are generally positive. "The number of people who want to become contract servicemen and the number of people accepted for contract service have increased," he said.
As to the problems in this sphere, he believes it is too early to speak about them. "Firstly, this process has just begun. Secondly, the current rate at which our Armed Forces are being staffed with volunteers who have chosen to make contract service in the army their profession shows that we have the resources to carry this change out. Thirdly, we have considerably improved motivation for our future contract servicemen," Lebedev said.
Responding to a question about the funding provided for the transition to a contract army, the minister said over 35 billion hryvni (some $4.4 billion) is expected to be spent on it in the next four years.
"As to the amount of funding for staffing the army with contract servicemen, we plan to spend on that over 35 billion hryvni of the 90 billion hryvni allocated for the army in the next four years," he said.