Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 2, 2006 Friday

RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN ON THE ARMENIAN BORDER

by Alexei Ventslovsky

RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS HELP THEIR ARMENIAN COUNTERPARTS PROTECT THE
BORDER WITH TURKEY AND IRAN; Lieutenant-General Sergei Bondarev,
chief of the Russian border guard department in Armenia, said that
Russian servicemen solve their tasks on the border with Turkey (355
km) and Iran (48 km).

As is known, the Russian border guard service helps several CIS
nations ensure the security of their border. Russia’s border guard
posts are located on Armenia’s border with Turkey and Iran.

(…)

Lieutenant-General Sergei Bondarev, chief of the Russian border guard
department in Armenia, said that Russian servicemen solve their tasks
on the border with Turkey (355 km) and Iran (48 km). He noted: “Last
year we detained 187 violators of the border and 1,293 people with
improper documents. We banned over 300 people from crossing the
border. The Armenian customs office confiscated smuggling worth of
$30,000 and 80 units of cold steel. We prevented over 100 attempts to
violate the border.”

(…)

Russia and Armenia fund the border guard department together. Russia
allocates 70% of the budget, including wages. Armenia solves social
issues.

It should be noted that our border guards managed to cut the number
of young officers who leave the army. Only two out of 100 graduates
from military high schools have resigned over the past two years. The
share of contract servicemen is 39%. We do not have problems with
junior commanders.

(…)

Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, May 27, 2006, p. 2