Deputy defense Minister: oysters for soldiers are not yet given, the product is perishable
Article from the newspaper: Weekly "Arguments and Facts" Љ 21 22/05/2019
Deputy defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov in an exclusive interview with "AIF" - about the system of support of the Armed forces of the Russian Federation.
(...)
Sergey Osipov, "AIF":
- Last year one misfortune which, fortunately, happens not every year fell down for you. I'm talking about how in early December last year, 73 km from the village of Chekunda in the Khabarovsk krai due to a landslide, a part of the hill collapsed.
- Let me remind you what happened. As a result of the cataclysm, there was a threat of flooding of settlements, automobile and railway communications of the Baikal-Amur mainline (they are located above the natural dam). This problem would rise to the utmost in the spring, after opening of Bureya. Some experts even advised to resettle the inhabitants of the riverine territories, until it was too late. But we didn't allow that.
(...)
After analyzing the situation, the country's leadership decided to involve the Ministry of defense in the elimination of the consequences of the accident. The main reason, why we got such a "non-core" job, was very simple: no Agency, except the military, has stocks of explosives that can punch a hole in such a blockage. Another reason - in transport. Only the Ministry of Defence around "the cataclysm" had an airfield capable to accept heavy transport planes. We are talking about the base of long-range aviation Ukrainka in the Amur region. Thereto, through 6 thousand kilometers, carried a lot of necessary. The explosives were also delivered by rail in the shortest possible time. Then, it [explosives], as well as everything else, was transported to the place of work by helicopters. For example, with the help of a heavy helicopter Mi-26 to the crash site was delivered a powerful bulldozer.
... the most difficult climatic conditions.
The temperature in the area of work fell up to minus 43 degrees.
And this is with a high humidity in combination with strong gusty winds.
Although I served in my time in the TRANS-Baikal military district, but even for me this combination was, as they say, on the verge.
Now imagine what it was like for soldiers and officers who worked directly at the river.
That's - a people, soldiers, whom we must thank!
A total of 11 explosions were carried out with the use of 300 tons of explosives. We completed the task, set by the President, 10 days ahead of schedule. In total, more than 500 servicemen of various specialties were involved in the elimination of the consequences of the landslide. All of them and also the representatives of other departments participating in operation on mitigation of consequences of a landslide were recommended for state awards. (...)" [http://www.aif.ru/society/army/zamministra_oborony_ustric_soldatam_poka_ne_daem_produkt_skoroportyashchiysya]
May 22, 2019 19:42
Translation from Russian into English: May 22, 2019 20:23.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский "Рассказ об интересе к Бурейской теме 22 мая 2019 г.".