Question: There are many all-Russian veteran organizations in the country. Why is it necessary to establish another one, an all-Russian public organization of veterans of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (APOVAMRF)?
Moiseev: All veteran organizations operating in Russia are united according to the principle: all veterans are welcome. For instance, we see that the all-Russian public organization of veterans (pensioners) of war and labor of the Armed Forces (chaired by M. Trunov) unites all pensioners of labor, military pensioners and employees of the law-enforcement agencies. The Russian council of veterans of Interior Ministry bodies and Interior Forces (chaired by I. Shilov) unites only its own pensioners who have served for the Interior Ministry. All-Russian public organization Combat Fraternity (its president is B. Gromov) unites servicemen and military pensioners of the Armed Forces, law-enforcement agencies, foreign intelligence service and special forces.
If we take military pensioners of the Defense Ministry, they do not have a unified organization. Some people consider the all-Russian public organization of veterans of war and military service (chaired by A. Yefimov) to be a veteran organization of the Defense Ministry but this is not so! This organization includes pubic organizations of veterans of all security agencies including the Defense Ministry.
That is why life itself requires uniting military pensioners of the Defense Ministry.
Question: Does the organizational committee for the organization of a constitutive conference of APOVAMRF of which you are the head support the idea of establishing a special agency – ministry or committee – for veteran affairs in Russia like in Belarus, US, etc?
Moiseev: We do not only support it but also express our proposals at many public political events. Thus, at the first meeting of the veteran activists of the Armed Forces, I submitted a proposal regarding such bodies. However, our proposal was not heard then. It is possible that such bodies will be established in the country and we will work and interact fruitfully.
Question: Do the Defense Ministry, federal government and Presidential Administration support organization of APOVAMRF?
Moiseev: Top-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov personally approved the initiative of representatives of the veteran organizations of the central staff regarding the establishment of APOVAMRF. The Presidential Administration was informed about our initiative. Some members of the government, Federation Council and Duma know this information too. What is most important is that military pensioners of the Defense Ministry, participants of World War II and war in Afghanistan support us.
Question: What are the goals and tasks of the new organization? How can it help military pensioners, commanders of military units and top-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry?
Moiseev: The goals and tasks that are panned for the new organization have already been covered by mass media, by websites and in my interviews sufficiently fully. I would only like to point out that the new organization will be useful both for veterans and for commanders. This is manifested by experience of the public organization of veterans of the General Staff registered in 2005. We started our work from 2,500 members and increased it to more than 30,000 by now. To the events arranged by our organization we attract veterans of structures divisions of the General Staff, veterans of wars and civil specialists who have served or have worked in the main and central departments.
Assistance to commanders of military units is noticeable and can be the following: the veteran organization will undertake a part of tasks of social, sanatorium and resort and medical support and care about the veterans who need assistance.
Question: Is it planned for APOVAMRF to participate in the preparation of proposals for federal bills aimed at increasing social protection (restoration of benefits, increase of pensions, military salaries, protection of wives of veterans of the military service etc) of servicemen and officers of the reserve (retired officers)?
Moiseev: Yes, it is planned. We will take the most active and efficient part in this process. It is known that military pensioners of the Defense Ministry work in some bodies of executive and legislative power. We have done certain work in this area. We only need to bring its results into life.
Question: When will citizens of the Russian Federation and veterans of the Defense Ministry will be able to get acquainted with the draft bylaws of APOVAMRF?
Moiseev: By now, the draft bylaws have already been prepared and members of the organizational committee, heads of the leading veteran organizations of the central staff of the Defense Ministry and representatives of public are getting acquainted and working with it. It is planned that by the end of August, the draft bylaws will be prepared for consideration by representatives of broad public. We have an agreement with the editorial board of Krasnaya Zvezda on publication of the full text of the bylaws in one of the issues in August. This publication will enable military units and formations, associations and units to get acquainted with the draft bylaws.
Question: What is the quantity of APOVAMRF members?
Moiseev: At present, more than 2.5 million pensioners receive military pensions and due to reforming and restructuring of the Armed Forces the ranks of the military pensioners are continually growing.
Ideally, we would like all military pensioners to be united in a unified public organization of veterans of the Defense Ministry. We will consider our task fulfilled if the quantity of members of our organization amounts to a few thousands or to tens of thousands of people at the first stage. Further growth of the organization will depend directly on fulfillment of the tasks that it sets for itself. If we start working, military pensioners will start joining our organization.
