Russian Armed Forces cut to 1 million men
The Russian Armed Forces are today staffed by one million people, President Dmitry Medvedev confirms.
Speaking with top military representatives in an extended session with the Defence Ministry, President Medvedev confirmed that the total number of men and women working in the country’s armed forces is one million, Itar-Tass reports. In 1985, the Soviet military had about 5.3 million men; by 1990 the number declined to about four million. At the time the Soviet Union dissolved, the residual forces belonging to the Russian Federation were 2.7 million strong. According to Wikipedia, the Russian authorities want volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010 with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts. From 2008, the conscript time in the country is one year.
