Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the reorganization of the military police, which was created under the former head of Anatoly Serdyukov’s office, a senior Defense Ministry official told Izvestia.If Serdyukov planned that the military police themselves would be engaged in operational-search activities, conduct investigations and conduct inquiries on crimes against military service (AWOL, desertion, non-execution of the order, evasion of service, etc.), then Shoigu decided to leave military police only curfew service and units of the military automobile inspection (VAI).
“The reason for the police reform in the army was that the new special unit with many functions turned out to be unclaimed”
In addition, motor-rifle battalions, special forces and psychological operations, sniper companies, divers, flamethrowers and other special forces were excluded from the states of special military police brigades that were planned to be set up in each military district.
“Formally, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces Vladimir Chirkin, who is in charge of the military police, initiated the reorganization. Shoigu approved his proposal and instructed personnel officers to submit new states before the summer, ”the source explained.
Since the military police units have not yet been fully established, the reform will affect the only police unit of the Ministry of Defense - the 130-th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (OMBR) deployed in the Sokolniki district of Moscow.
According to the "Serdyukovsky" staff, a police brigade from 3,5 thousand people had to include four motorized rifle battalions on armored personnel carriers and a lot of special units. It was assumed that the military police would fight the terrorist underground, reconnaissance and sabotage units of the enemy, to protect government and military facilities in the event of war.
Now the "extra" units will be disbanded, and the soldiers of them transferred to other positions - the 130-I OMSB is recruited only by contract servicemen, the requirements for which are as stringent as in special forces or airborne troops.
The reason for police reform in the army was that the new special unit with many functions turned out to be unclaimed.
“To solve special tasks, there are corresponding special forces. The FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and other special structures should fight the terrorists, prevent the mass unrest, and the Ministry of Defense needs only to counter military threats. There is no practical sense to create duplicate structures that lock themselves on the Minister of Defense. In addition, the expanded military police did not fit into the functionality of the Ground Forces, to which they were structurally handed over to the commander-in-chief, ”the General Staff officer said.
The military police officer in charge of developing the states of the Serdyukov brigades and combat documents explained to Izvestia that the brigades of the military police were copied from the US.
“The experience of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan showed the Americans that the military police often perform complex tasks to stabilize the situation. There is even a special term stabilization operations, which means the whole complex of peacekeeping, population control, protection from militants, food supply, etc. We have no such thing, ”he said.
The officer added that the US Army has a criminal investigation department, which has a wide range of activities. And in Russia there are relevant bodies: the military investigative department in the Investigation Committee, the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office at the General Prosecutor’s Office, so it’s redundant to duplicate their functions, he said.