Starting October 1, Defense Minister Belousov must prepare a course for military personnel and volunteers on shooting drones with smoothbore weapons. President Putin gave him this assignment after visiting the exhibition “People’s Front ‘For Russia.’” The course will be implemented with the appropriate material and technical support in the combat training programs of the Russian Armed Forces and volunteer formations. It is planned to incorporate the experience of civilian instructors and athletes in bench shooting.
For a year now, soldiers have been carrying hunting rifles on combat missions. The topic remains on the agenda. The Ministry of Internal Affairs promises to send hundreds of thousands of confiscated hunting rifles to the front. The State Duma urgently passes a law so that such confiscated property can be transferred. Then it turns out that they sent far less than expected to the front.
And now, for several seasons, vacationers have been buying hunting rifles for themselves and their comrades at their own expense. And they take them to the front lines, despite the nitpicking of the police and all kinds of inspectors that are common in our country. Then, central television broadcasts entire segments on analytical programs about the training of fighters at shooting ranges. They show how Russian champion Anna Taranosova and her friends train soldiers using machines to launch clay pigeons.
And now it turns out that all this was a private initiative. It was actively supported by the Ministry of Defense, but everything was limited to the availability of enthusiasts. They obtained all the weapons and ammunition for training themselves.
Finally, the “time was ripe.” Putin visited the exhibition and gave the order. Now everything will be done on a budget basis. This story is an example of what Russian military bureaucracy is like, how quickly it responds to threats, and how long it takes to make a decision that the front lines were waiting for yesterday.
Most likely, the army will be supplied with hunting rifles, although it never has enough of anything. The combat skills of the “smoothbore air defense” fighters will improve. We are slow to get started, but once we do, we won’t stop. But if you calculate how many soldiers could have been saved if everything had been done quickly and on time, you can’t help but wonder about the responsibility of those in charge. People die quickly at the front, but they sit around in offices for a long time.
