The Army Prepares for Purge. While officers in Kyiv rally

Last time this happened to the Ukrainian army was five years ago, when a mass migration of officers within CIS had virtually stopped and a considerable number of servicemen came back to Ukraine from all parts of the former union.

An impetus for the present campaign is a directive of the Supreme Commander concerning reduction of the armed forces, law-enforcement bodies and other military structures' personnel. The document requires that "based on the results of attestation, to discharge those servicemen, who do not correspond to their posts, as well as those, whose professional, moral and psychological qualities do not conform to present requirements."

Since the last criterion may have rather broad and arbitrary interpretation, the servicemen fear that the attestation may be used by individual commanding officers to settle personal scores with disobedient subalterns. The press-service of the Defense Ministry informed The Day correspondent that attestation commissions may include representatives from officers' assemblies, which will uphold their collective interests. However, far from all military units have officers' assemblies, and this vox populi has only consultative status.

According to estimates, released by the Ministry of Defense, 17,800 officers and ensigns are to be dismissed from the army this year. Since earlier 15,000 service men were discharged on the average from the army annually, such reduction would not cause social tension in the ranks, said the Defense Minister.

However, a servicemen's rally has already been held in Kyiv. They demanded suspension of all organizational and personnel measures in power structures until Verkhovna Rada adopted appropriate laws, which would in practice ensure the social protection of the persons made redundant. Next Thursday servicemen are going to rally in Solomyanska square in Kyiv, having in mind the same demands. It cannot be ruled out that increased rallies among the officers, if you like, could be considered a manifestation of "moral and psychological qualities which do not conform to the present requirements."