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On Wednesday, Colonel Andrei Bobrun, the head of Press Service of the Western Military District (ZVO), told Interfax that the percentage of enlisted personnel and NCOs who’re believers is higher than in the officer corps. He said, “The units and bases of the ZVO conducted an anonymous survey of military personnel to assess their attitude to religion. About 70 percent of the officers consider themselves believers; the other 30 percent identify themselves as atheists. Amongst the NCOs and soldiers in contract service {that is, long-service regulars, not conscripts: editor}, 75 percent of respondents labelled themselves believers”. Colonel Bobrun added that ZVO installations and garrisons have 46 religious sites, most of which are Orthodox. There are two priests acting as Assistant Commanders for Work with Believers {Russian jargonese for a chaplain: editor} in the ZVO. According to Colonel Bobrun, believers in the ranks feel that a priest’s spiritual talk before going on field exercises is of particular importance, as well as having a religious blessing on their weapons and military equipment.
28 December 2011
Interfax-Religion
