Politics
Makarov announces “New Look” operational-strategic commands
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe momentum of change denoting Russian military reform continues to attract widespread attention among both the critics and advocates of the “new look,” while leaving deeper issues unresolved.
The momentum of change denoting Russian military reform continues to attract widespread attention among both the critics and advocates of the “new look,” while leaving deeper issues unresolved. By December 2010, the existing six military districts (MD’s) will be replaced by four enlarged operational-strategic commands with greatly enhanced responsibility assigned to their commanders. This shift, long in the making, absent from the original detail in the reform concept first announced by Defense Minister, Anatoliy Serdyukov, on October 14, 2008 illustrates that the defense ministry and General Staff are continuing to revise and adapt the “new look.” Equally, it is consistent with overall efforts to enhance and modernize command and control.
Publicly disclosed in April, perhaps to gauge the reaction, recently senior officials have elaborated in greater detail the nature of these strategic command changes. On June 8, Army-General Nikolai Makarov, the Chief of the General Staff, told the Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee that “We shall be proposing to create, on the basis of the six military districts, four military districts whose commanders will be in charge of all manpower and resources deployed in their areas, including navy, air force and air defense forces. Moreover, these forces will be directly, not operationally, subordinate to the commanders.” Thus, the country will be divided into four operational-strategic commands: West (headquarters in St. Petersburg), East (Khabarovsk), North (Yekaterinburg) and South (Rostov-on-Don). Although these will be notionally formed by December, ironing out all the details and resolving other organizational problems will take much longer. General Makarov admitted that “the period in which they will become established and coordinated will, I think, take several years” (Interfax, June 11).
Subsequent details provided in relation to the planned reorganization was consistent with reporting in April which indicated that Moscow and Leningrad MD’s and the Baltic Fleet would form the West; the Far East MD, Pacific Fleet and a number of units drawn from the Siberian MD constituting the East; the North predominantly consisting of the Siberian MD, and the South will include the North Caucasus MD, Black Sea and Caspian Fleets (Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, June 12; Interfax, June 11; Interfax, April 29).
Some Russian analysts have noted that such concepts are based on the US model and are by no means innovative. Studies on the US military organizational model appeared in Zarubezhnoye Voyennoye Obozreniye in 2003, summarizing the system as being designed to subordinate forces to a commanding general and prove capable of accomplishing a wide range of missions (www.infox.ru, April 30). Indeed, as Aleksandr Khramchikhin, Deputy Director of the Moscow-based Institute for Political and Military Analysis, rightly observed, the former Chief of the General Staff, Army-General Yury Baluyevskiy, had advocated similar proposals in 2005, which was placed on the back burner after he was replaced in 2008 (Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, June 3).
While the concept may well replicate the US model, its deficiencies in the Russian context are apparent. As the East operational-strategic command is formed, a number of factors will mitigate against any enhancement of the ability of the forces based there to adequately offer improved defense capabilities. For instance, the Kuril Islands are currently “protected” by the only machinegun-artillery division in the Russian armed forces, which is hardly a credible match for the potential of the Japanese military in any crisis. Moreover, Sakhalin is defended by one motor rifle brigade. General Makarov also recently used this factor to justify the possible procurement of the Mistral class amphibious assault ships from France, specifically making comment on the Kurils, and the need for defense against a possible Japanese attack (EDM, June 11). The situation is significantly worse in relation to the massive imbalance of military power in favor of China. A series of articles in Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye in 2009 adequately demonstrated the widening mismatch between Russian and Chinese conventional forces (Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, March 27, 2009, October 9, 2009).
Additionally, the vulnerability of the Trans-Siberian Railway to airstrikes or sabotage by Special Forces would severely restrict any capability to reinforce Russian troops in the Far East. While the reorganization of the MD’s and formation of operational-strategic commands provides a semblance that the defense reform is maintaining its momentum, it is questionable whether this quantitatively or qualitatively improves Russian military capabilities. As Khramchikhin observed: “The creation of such commands can substantially increase the effectiveness of Russian armed forces command and control, only there has to be something over which to exercise command and control. And now the Armed Forces have to be created from scratch. Only are we capable of doing this with our economic and scientific-technical potential? And if not, then what should be done in this case?” (Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, June 3).
Despite the publicity devoted to the transformation of the command and control structures, in reality Russia remains overly reliant upon nuclear deterrence to protect its eastern territory. Those conducting the reform prefer the focus to be placed on grand design issues, rather than allowing open discussion of the many weaknesses present within the manning system. That is precisely what Khramchikhin highlighted by saying there has to be “something” over which command and control can be exercised. Serdyukov claims that contract service is not being “abandoned,” despite the announced slashing of its budget by 86 percent, and numerous statements from senior defense officials, including General Makarov, that conscription will be relied upon to a greater extent in future (RIA Novosti, June 11).
Indeed, it is now abundantly clear that the “new look” does not include any planning to adopt a professional all-volunteer army, and will continue to be plagued by the manifold issues and challenges linked to conscripts serving for only twelve months. The timing of the announcement by Makarov on strategic command restructuring coincided with increased speculation and awareness of the many problems facing the manning system. No doubt, the publicity that will follow these plans receiving the presidential signature in due course will be further timed to divert attention away from other fundamental issues in the reform.
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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