New institute in Transnistria to train military personnel

Preparations for opening a new military institute in Tiraspol are about to complete, Info-Prim Neo's correspondent in Transnistria reports. The defense minister of the breakaway region Vladimir Atamaniuk has recently told reporters that the military faculty within the Tiraspol University is not able to provide adequate education and training to military specialists. Therefore, it was decided to establish a separate military institute, a decision backed by an ordinance issued by the Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov. No tuition fees will be charged. Furthermore, after two years of study, the cadets will enjoy the same status as full time professional soldiers, and will get paid for their service. The courses are supposed to last five years. It is planned to enroll 60 cadets in 2008, with whom, upon graduation, the army will sign 10-year contracts of military service. The Transnistrian army needs personnel able to command and educate, stated Atamaniuk. According to the region's ministry of health, only two in ten prospective recruits are physically and mentally fit for military service. Transistria's conscription target for this spring is 700 recruits. During the latest draft in 2007 there were enrolled 500 soldiers. The reputation of the Transnistria's army has been shattered by the death of two soldiers last winter. The parents believe their sons died because of bullying, a widespread phenomenon in Transnistrian barracks.