“Grafting them into modern conditions is an almost impossible task... The lack of ideology in Russia, as such, is the first problem that appointees may face...”

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced his intention to restore educational structures in the army. "IN Soviet time political deputies played a very important role. A lot depended on them. Not only the moral and psychological state of military personnel, but also promotion. Currently, deputy commanders have lost their role. Their value is greatly reduced. The decision of the new defense minister to increase the status of deputies will affect the image Russian army, as well as on improving the ideological and political state of military personnel and officers. I think that this will only play a positive role in solving the problems facing the army,” he shared his opinion with Finam FM reserve lieutenant colonel Sergei Ermolenko. “I can’t imagine an army without officer-educators. However, it is fundamentally important to train educators, and not treat them as “a remnant of the Soviet era.” It cannot be allowed for a teacher in the army to be a “deputy for general issues“,” Sergei Shoigu said in an interview with the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. According to him, the officer-educator “is obliged to know how a soldier lives, what he does, which of the personnel smokes, who drinks, what the situation is like at home for the guys.” “He must be able to work with the soul of a soldier...”, the minister added. defense In addition, Sergei Shoigu said that the Ministry of Defense plans to create a special commission that will search for solutions to the issues raised before the department. “I am sure that we are able to solve every problem, and we will solve it, but a balanced approach is required. Why is it important to hear? different opinions. And those professionals who serve in the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, and those who are already in the reserve or retired. Therefore, we intend to form an expert community under the ministry. In my experience, such specialists are able to give many useful recommendations,” the head of the defense department emphasized.

IAREX: Is it necessary to return political officers to the Russian army?

Grigory Trofimchuk, political scientist, first vice-president of the Center for Strategic Development Modeling: What, the priests in the army failed to cope with their task? So then we need to say this directly, and not give them resurrected political officers as assistants, with a slightly different, shy and vague job title, so that it doesn’t hurt anyone’s sensitive ears.

But, again, we need to start with the most important thing, as after the resuscitation of another Soviet artifact, the “five-year plans”: with the cleansing of the oligarchs and the return of Soviet prices for essential goods, including free apartments for working people. Why do we need political officers without these main Soviet preferences?

It’s time to also pay attention to the internal army appeal “Comrade”. All around are gentlemen, beggars, oligarchs, all comrades outside the army have long been abolished, except perhaps Comrade Bilalov, who bears this title personally. But for some reason they remained in the army - are they waiting for the political officers to return? Addressing the Commander-in-Chief as “Comrade President” sounds as ridiculous as “Mr. Servant.” Therefore, if we are to re-introduce an educational officer, then we should call him that, in tandem with the existing “comrade” and without any hesitation - a political officer. Or: introduce, in tandem with the existing priests, an “educator officer.” There must be, after all, some kind of coherent set here.

Since the army has abandoned the battle flag with the “hammer and sickle” that fluttered over the Victory Parade-45, since the country no longer awards its heroes with Soviet awards, but only solid crosses, then we should seriously think about the transition to all these glorious “ Your Excellency", "Your Excellency" and "Your Honor".

And it would be nice: all good traditions would have a place here, just like on the eclectic banner of the Russian army. Here you have five-pointed stars, here you have Russian folk patterns with Slavic script, here you have a double-headed eagle.

Approximately the same ingredients that exist should now appear in army life: here you have priests, and political officers with “comrades”, and “your Lordships”.

There is only one question left: will this terrible mess inspire soldiers to go into real battle under it and take risks? own life? And what will the resurrected political officer say about this? How can educational work be carried out in principle in such a mess, when there are no principles or ideology? It turns out that Russia today not only does not have a probable adversary and external enemies (we are afraid to even name them), but also a basic understanding of what the Russian army itself should look like.

Roman Liskin, journalist:

I think that the institution of “political officers” has always been “bastard”. Political officers were never loved, but they were feared because of their official denunciation. To adapt them to modern conditions is an almost impossible task - this is an attempt to refit the cart with high-quality winter tires. The lack of ideology in Russia, as such, is the first problem that appointees may face. The best option for the Russian army - regular visits by famous religious leaders to various concessions of military units. Missionary work in Africa or China is also a necessary task, but missionary work in the Motherland on such nutritious soil as soldiers is much more important. Various kinds of “registered priests” or psychoanalysts will be subject to no less obstruction, just as “political officers” of all stripes will not create an atmosphere of trust among yesterday’s hooligan schoolchildren. They are the ones who fall under the call, unlike the “refined majors” for whom there is someone to pay.

JOB DESCRIPTION

class teacher for grades 5-11.

This instruction has been developed and approved in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code Russian Federation, Law of the Russian Federation "On Education" "Convention on the Rights of the Child" 1993; Federal and regional programs for the development of education; methodological recommendations on organizing the activities of the class teacher in educational institutions (Letter of the Ministry of Education of Russia dated June 21, 2001 No. 480/30-16); Interdepartmental program for the development of additional education and other regulations.

1. General provisions

1.1. The class teacher and officer-educator of the cadet school is an employee of the general educational institution of the municipal educational institution Cadet School named after General A.P. Ermolova, Stavropol, carries out activities aimed at preserving, strengthening and developing mutual understanding between students, their parents, teachers and other participants in the educational process.

1.2. The class teacher is appointed to the position and dismissed from the position by order of the director of the educational institution from among persons with higher education. Teacher Education, or experience working with children for at least 1 year, without presenting requirements for work experience in the position of a class teacher, including on the proposal of the deputy director for educational work, and is directly subordinate to the director of a general education institution. During the period of vacation and temporary disability of the class teacher and the officer-educator of the cadet school, their duties may be assigned to a teacher who does not have a class teacher and works in this class or another officer-educator

1.3. The class teacher and teacher-educator must know:

Basics general psychology, educational psychology, general pedagogy, physiology of children and adolescents;

Methods and skills of communicative communication with students, social psychotraining, modern methods individual and group lessons within the class;

Features of the educational system;

Working conditions and features of conducting classes in this educational institution.

1.4. The class teacher in his work is guided by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Law of the Russian Federation "On Education", the Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Charter of a comprehensive educational institution and other documents in the field of education.

1.5. The officer-educator is appointed from among reserve officers or teachers, in accordance with the order of the director of the school.

The officer-educator reports to the director of the school and the deputy director of the school for VVR.

In his activities, the educational officer is guided by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Law of the Russian Federation “On Education”, the standard regulations “On General Educational Institutions”, Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, the Charter and local legal acts of the school (including internal regulations, this job description).

2. Functions

The main areas of activity of the class teacher and officer-educator are:

2.1. organizing the activities of the class group of students;

2.2. organization of educational work for the class team and individual students;

2.3. organization of extracurricular life of the class;

2.4. personality study and correction in the education of students;

2.5. social help and student protection;

2.6.interaction with parents, other teachers, social workers.

2.7.The main activity of the officer-educator is training cadets in the cadet component of the training program of the MOU KS and monitoring the cadets' compliance with the KS Charter, requirements and orders of the KS administration.

3. Job responsibilities of the class teacher and educational officer.

Rights of the class teacher and educational officer

The class teacher has the right, within his competence:

4.1. get acquainted with the documentation of the educational institution;

4.2. attend any lessons and events conducted by subject teachers in the classroom (without the right to enter the classroom during a lesson unless absolutely necessary and make comments to the teacher during the lesson);

4.3. Study educational process in lessons taught by subject teachers;

4.4. Bring to disciplinary liability students for actions that disorganize the educational process, in the manner established by the organizational documents of the educational institution;

4.5. Encourage students in the manner established by the organizational documents of the educational institution;

4.6. Participate in the work of the pedagogical and methodological councils of the educational institution, make proposals for the formation individual program adaptation of students, creation of a favorable socio-psychological climate in the team;

4.7. Cooperate with specialists from social services, medical institutions, and juvenile affairs inspectorates;

4.8. Independently choose priority areas of work, taking into account the peculiarities of the functioning and development of a general education institution;

4.9. Improve your qualifications, attend seminars, courses;

4.10. Participate in the work of youth school associations, promote their functioning

For non-fulfillment or improper execution without good reason of the Charter and Internal Rules labor regulations School, legal orders of the School director, other local regulations, job responsibilities established by these instructions, the officer - teacher and class teacher bears disciplinary responsibility in the manner prescribed by labor legislation. For gross violation of labor and official duties as disciplinary punishment Dismissal may apply.

5. Cyclogram of the class teacher

Daily: working with late students and finding out the reasons for the absence of students, organizing meals for students, organizing duty in the classroom, individual work with students.

Weekly:class hour (according to plan), checking student diaries, conducting activities in the classroom (according to plan), working with parents (according to the situation), working with subject teachers (according to the situation), meeting with the school doctor, nurse on student health issues,

Monthly:

Once every quarter : preparation of a class journal based on the results of the quarter, seminar (study) of class teachers, analysis of the implementation of the work plan for the quarter, correction of the educational work plan for the new quarter: discussion in class on class hour, holding a parent meeting.

Once a year:holding an open event, registering students’ personal files, analyzing and drawing up a class work plan, discussing the results in the class during class hours, class statistics.

Cyclogram of an officer-educator

Daily: working with late students and finding out the reasons for the absence of students, conducting morning examinations and physical exercises

Weekly:checking behavior diaries. PCB,

Monthly:attending lessons in your class, consulting with a school psychologist, meeting with parent activists, meeting with self-government bodies to plan work for the coming month.

Once every quarter : preparation of a journal based on the results of the quarter, analysis of the implementation of the work plan for the quarter, holding a parent meeting.

Once a year:holding an open event

4. Responsibility of the class teacher and educational officer

The class teacher is responsible for:

5.1. for non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment without good reason of the Charter and other rules enshrined in the organizational documents of the educational institution, legal orders of the director, job responsibilities established by these instructions, the class teacher bears disciplinary liability in accordance with the labor legislation of the Russian Federation;

5.2. for untimely and inaccurate execution, maintenance and storage of documents, as well as for their loss, the class teacher bears responsibility as provided for in the organizational documents of the educational institution;

5.3. For the use, including one-time use, of methods of mental or physical violence against a student’s personality, the class teacher may be relieved of duties in accordance with the labor legislation of the Russian Federation and the Law “On Education”. Dismissal for such misconduct is not a disciplinary measure;

5.4. The class teacher who is guilty of causing damage to the school in connection with the performance (non-performance) of his official duties bears financial liability in the manner and within the limits established by the labor or civil law RF.

5.5. For military training in the scope of the “Cadet Component” program, education, military discipline and the moral and psychological state of the cadet;

5.6.For the formation of moral and psychological readiness to the defense of the Fatherland, the development in cadets of the qualities necessary to fulfill military duty;

5.7. For conducting drill training classes within the scope of the Cadet Component program;

5.8. For maintaining internal order in the assigned territory and in the classroom;

5.9.For conscientious execution cadets have duty class duties around the school.

Photo by the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry

Leading political body recreated in Armed Forces RF. This was stated today by Deputy Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Alexander Kanshin. It's about, according to him, about the creation of the Main Military-Political Directorate. Such an organizational, political and ideological body, according to Kanshin, “it would be advisable to form on the basis of the current Main Directorate for Work with Personnel (GURLS) of the Armed Forces - the successor to the former Directorate for Educational Work.”

“The new main military-ideological directorate,” he noted, “should have sufficiently large powers and have a strict vertical structure on the scale of the Armed Forces - from the company to the types and branches of the military, and be linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense.”

The motivation here, according to Kanshin, is simple: “In the conditions of global information and psychological confrontation, the role of the moral and political unity of the army and society increases immeasurably. Therefore, a radical restructuring and significant strengthening of the entire structure in the Armed Forces is necessary, which will organize, conduct and be responsible for the moral and ideological component in the Russian army, carefully take into account the socio-political situation in the country in its activities, skillfully direct the energy of army collectives to strengthen the country’s defense capability and increasing the combat readiness of troops."

Further even simpler: “In order to organize and carry out systematic work to clarify the political line of the state in the troops at the present stage, it is necessary to create a new main board - the main military-ideological or military-political department. The need for this is long overdue.”

All this to me personally, who served for many years as deputy commander for political affairs, reminds me of the timing from some report at the next congress of the CPSU. Especially these are the words of Comrade Kanshin: “Today there is an urgent need to strengthen the moral and political toughening of the rank and file and officers at all levels, to strengthen the cohesion of army collectives to solve a number of most important tasks" Only the words “for clarification of the state’s political line in the troops” need to be replaced with others: “for clarification in the troops of the political line of the party (presumably, “United Russia”) and the government.”

Reserve Colonel Kanshin, who served as secretary of the Komsomol committee of a battalion of cadets, assistant head of the political department for Komsomol work of the school, corps, deputy regiment commander for political affairs, etc., probably does not know that our army seems to be outside of politics . It is no coincidence that military personnel are prohibited from participating in political actions (by the way, recently a Russian Navy officer who participated in the “voter strike” in Krasnodar was quickly fired). People in uniform are only allowed to vote in elections (preferably in order and preferably correctly).

And most importantly, what does the revival of GlavPUR mean? What tasks, besides increasing the moral and political unity of the army and society, strengthening the moral and ideological component in the Russian army and taking into account the socio-political situation in the country, will the new political workers solve? What will their status be? IN Soviet army everything was clear. Of course, there was unity of command and the commander was responsible for everything. But there were both the political department and the party commission with their “red guillotine”, which could call the commander on the carpet and force him to “love the Motherland and the Party.” And it reached the point of insanity. For example, on a ship, the senior assistant commander (in the future the future commander) did not have the right to enter the ZAS (classified communications) room, but the political officer could. And if you look, for example, at the Ship's Charter of 1978, it generally turns out that the ship's political officer has a higher status than the chief mate.

No, it is clear that someone must improve morality and ideology. But morally everything is clear. But no one seems to know what kind of ideology we have in our country today. As well as what the socio-political situation is in the country. Our authorities say she is excellent. Then what is there to take into account?

And, by the way, where will future political workers be trained? In Soviet times there were various political schools. Now there is none of this. Shall we call up the Young Guard of United Russia into the army? (True, I don’t know if this organization is still alive today?) And somehow I didn’t hear these guys rushing to take arms.

By the way, the Russian Ministry of Defense is still silent about the re-establishment of GlavPUR. One must assume that there are more serious problems in the military department.

Interview with the deputy unit commander for work with personnel.

- The first question will be terminological. Are specialists of your profile in the army so universally called “political officers”?

Yes. This is already such an established concept that... Well, judge for yourself what “deputy commander for work with personnel” sounds like?! Long. “Deputy for personnel”?! Not good. And “political officer” sounds clear and succinct. It’s even a common noun: a person who speaks a lot and competently.

- What educational institutions prepare future deputy commanders for working with personnel?

Traditionally, they are prepared by the Military University. I can’t say for sure whether he is preparing now, but until recently training was also conducted at the Novosibirsk Military Institute. Before the army reform, the training of specialists in moral and psychological support was carried out in the 7 highest military educational institutions.

- Can the position of “political officer” be filled by an officer who does not have a specialized specialty?

In my experience: the majority of officers occupying the positions of deputy commanders for work with personnel do not have training in this profile in educational institutions. Either these are engineers, tank crews, etc., who, by the will of fate, ended up in this position, or these are officers who received a civilian education at a university with a military department. The latter may have any cultural, psychological, or legal specialties.

- That is, we can say that an officer came to serve after the military department, and he was specially appointed to the position of “political officer,” where the quality of training seems to be not so important and there is less responsibility?

For the most part, this is how things are, since the level of training at a military university and at a military department is not comparable. So they put a person where, figuratively speaking, he will do the least harm. Or there is also this option: “Let’s go here for now, and there, if you prove yourself, we’ll see.”

- At the level of battalions and brigades there are “political officers”, but have they been returned to the companies? There were such plans.

I didn’t see them in the units I visited. But as far as I know, such specialists are being trained. It’s just that their positions are not introduced everywhere and immediately, so that their place is not taken by non-core specialists. That is, positions are introduced only for specific graduates. This is a very competent approach that eliminates the mistakes of the young Russian army of the early 90s.

- Are specialists really needed at the company level?

Yes. But they are not introduced everywhere. Combined-arms units, where the number of personnel exceeds 100 people, must be staffed by deputy company commanders for working with personnel.

- What are the responsibilities of the current “political officer”?

Let's look at the statute. “Zampolit” - and the charter also says that the deputy commander for educational work, and not the deputy commander for work with personnel, is responsible for education, military discipline, moral and psychological state, public and state training of personnel and the effectiveness of work to ensure security of military service.
There is a common opinion among the troops that a “political officer” is an expert on unclear issues. If, let’s say, the issue is not within the competence of any of the deputies, then the political officer should deal with it. Although the political officer himself does not understand why he is doing all this [laughs].

- In the work of the “political officer” in the modern Russian army, do elements of the work of the “political officer” of the Soviet era remain?

For example, at that time there was socio-political training, and now it is social and state training. I will read out the lesson topics from the UCP plan for the current year. The first topic for all categories of military personnel is “Russia in modern world and its main priorities military policy" And then “Tasks of a soldier and a sailor of a military unit/ship for the current academic year" Then the most important military battles that took place in different periods, Days of Military Glory, examples of heroism, hero cities are studied. The system is being studied government system, state power. Questions traditional religions, traditions inherent in the peoples of Russia. These questions are very important, since only in my division this moment Military personnel of more than ten nationalities serve. Next, Russian legislation and the responsibility of a military serviceman are studied. What is a military collective? In addition, we study the basics of international humanitarian law. I want to say something about him separately.
I started my service in a unit that is located far from all the hot spots, and at that moment our army was not conducting any active operations at all. Aspects of international humanitarian law did not seem to concern us at all. I was convinced that this discipline was unnecessary. And the very first business trip made me realize that this should have been studied yesterday. Now, as a training leader, I explain that this is more relevant than ever, that every soldier should know this. That when an order is received to carry out a combat mission, there will be no time to train the soldier to do this. Therefore, today you need to know that - here is mine own example- when a soldier takes [as a trophy] and wears an army uniform foreign country, because she is better, then he violates the norms of this humanitarian law.
These are the main topics of the classes. In addition, we always have a reserve of topics: we can independently propose one topic per month for study, based on the current situation.
There is also an information system - this is 30 minutes of time between breakfast and flag raising. This is any message about events in the country or abroad. In addition, according to the daily routine, there is a separate viewing of information programs: either “News” at 20 o’clock, or “Time” at 21 o’clock. But it is wrong to just watch; military personnel need to be explained what this or that event means and what consequences they will cause.
Typically, information sessions cover a maximum of 3 topics, one of which is the main one. The website of the Ministry of Defense is very helpful in searching for relevant topics, since any statements by top officials and the leadership of the Armed Forces are posted there. I read topics 2 times, memorize key points and speak without paper. Because if I read from it, then I have no faith. If I speak, it means I know what I’m talking about, and the listener believes me in this case.
There is also such a thing as prompt notification when something happens. an important event. For example, when the Turks shot down our plane, at the nearest formation, which was half an hour after this information appeared in the news feeds, I conveyed this information to the personnel. Which even scared some people. Afterwards, one of the servicemen came up to me and asked: “Now are we going to Syria?!” I explained to him that we wouldn’t go right now, but we should know information about such an event.

- How do you provide such information?

Any information, any words that an officer conveys to personnel must be objective. No misrepresentation is permitted. All in fact: today at such and such a time our plane was shot down. There are experts' assumptions that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. This is a violation of such and such norms international law, since the plane, according to the Ministry of Defense, was located there and could not be shot down. They are looking for one pilot, the other is most likely dead. You are not saying all this on your own behalf, but are reporting the source of information. Then, when more information appeared about how the plane was shot down, new facts were reported at the scheduled briefing.
In general, informing military personnel is the responsibility of their immediate commanders. But in this case, knowing that the level of information delivery would be lower in quality, I took over their functions.

- What sources do you get such operational information from?

I heard about the same plane on the radio in the car. Whenever I’m driving in the car, I turn on “Business FM”, “Vesti FM”, “Mayak” and another local regional radio station. There is news there every 15 minutes. If there is relevant information that concerns military personnel, then I report it. Just when I arrive at the unit, the unit is already set up for the morning divorce. Or, if something is very important, then I give the command for urgent construction.

- How often is information provided?

Regular information is provided twice a week. Military-technical information and legal information are carried out once a week, alternating. In addition, if we talk about all my classes, then public and state training is carried out twice a week. In addition, there is general meetings, educational work and leisure activities on Sunday, such as watching movies. If we had Easter, then the topic of conversation with the personnel was “Svetloe Christ's Resurrection" Since we do not have a full-time assistant commander to work with religious servicemen, we invite representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, with whom we maintain relationships in our area. Members of the Orthodox community arrive and hold a small concert at the club. Military personnel professing Orthodoxy are invited to the event, and only by choice.

- Are there any ideological guidelines coming down from above?

All the topics on which we conduct classes in public and state training come from the Main Directorate for Educational Work. The notes themselves are published in the Orientir magazine. There is a problem here, because this magazine does not always reach the troops on time, but on the website electronic version It lays out exactly what without topics on social and state preparation. Question: Why do this if this is a Ministry of Defense publication aimed at military personnel of the Ministry of Defense? The magazine explains that the viability of the publication depends on the copies printed. There are, of course, resources on the Internet that publish these topics from Orientir, but the difficulty arises precisely with current topics that are not, say, in the last or the issue before that.

- So from time to time you just have to search the Internet for issues of this magazine scanned by well-wishers?

Not from time to time, but constantly. You also have to monitor the unit commanders so that they use current topics on informing. Otherwise they might pick up some old topic where the same Serdyukov is mentioned...

- By the way, about the former minister. Are there any reviews of his activities? Are the results of the Oboronservis case being considered?

He is rarely remembered. Regarding performance assessment. I never voice it myself, because it causes a storm of emotions among the personnel. Most contract servicemen and officers have an extremely negative attitude towards him. If it does come up, I try to say that in addition to negative things, there were also positive ones. For example, under him the creation of a new form began. I remember very well how he said that we should have a modern seven-layer form. At that time, I could not imagine in my imagination that the form could consist of some seven layers. So I draw such parallels and say that Serdyukov’s activities were quite multifaceted.

- You have already mentioned the Orientir magazine, which publishes topics relevant to your work. What else are you reading from teaching aids What do you read outside of work and do you have time for it?

This is a problem, there is simply no time to read. Some television programs help me in my work, for example, “Serving Russia” or “Military Secret” with Viktor Prokopenko. From there it is very convenient to take clichéd phrases and slogans, which can then be used in educational work to form public consciousness. Which can be “wetted”. We should not be afraid of the word “propaganda”, because according to the governing documents my work is listed as “propaganda”.
What I read outside of work. Basically, I listen to audiobooks on the way home, when I go on a business trip, etc. So I re-read the whole classic literature and works related to the army: Tolstoy, Bunin, Kuprin, Pushkin, Dostoevsky. Now there are many bloggers who write about military topics on forums and social networks.
In general, everything that I read during my off-duty time is in one way or another connected with psychology, worldview, the study of weapons, and the experience of foreign armies. For example, if you are a political officer in an anti-aircraft division, then you cannot help but know the specifics of the equipment in service in your unit. This will definitely be needed in your work. At least in order to have authority in the eyes of military personnel. Don't be afraid to ask your subordinates to show you how to do something you don't understand. This will add frankness to your relationship.

- You said that you were watching “Military Secret”. It's no secret that there are a lot of blunders and mistakes in this program...

They often discuss topics on which information is difficult to find elsewhere. For example, what in Western society They spread stereotypes about us that Russians are drunkards, but the program gives examples that they drink just as much there. And this is not presented in fragments, but in such complex stories of 20 minutes about one thing. They allow you to look at a topic from an angle that you won’t find in other media. Yes, I see that there are mistakes there, that their information is not irrefutable, but useful material can be gleaned from these programs.

- If you watch various analytical programs on government channels, read and listen to pro-government public figures, publicists, it is not difficult to notice the progress of a certain general trend: Russia is surrounded by external enemies, and from within the “fifth column” is trying to raise its head. Therefore, they say, it is necessary to rally around the current government in order to resist the attacks of hostile forces. Do you provide information to your personnel in the same vein?

Let's start with the fact that among contract military personnel and officers there are people who often think in clichés like “everyone in power steals,” “it’s dangerous for us to publicly express one’s opinion,” “the bloody regime will imprison everyone.” At the same time, they do not delve deeply into the topic. I try to react like this:
- Everyone steals!
- Who's everyone"?
- Yes, everyone knows about it!
-Who are these “who know everything”? Give at least one example.
- Yes, that’s the same Putin!
- What does he have?
- Well, here are the Panamanian offshores!
- Give an example so that at least something is registered there personally.
- Yes, everyone knows that he steals!
I try to have a constructive conversation in my classes, and not be content with rumors about “everyone knows.” Let me explain that there are opposition forces that are trying to win public opinion to their side, but we are military personnel and cannot talk about whether we will carry out the order or not. That is, I separate flies from cutlets.
As for certain guidelines regarding the implementation of the official course. There is no such. Nothing comes down from above. There is an understanding that we [“political officers” - approx.] We cannot evaluate the activities of the higher command. I inform the officers that this cannot be done. We do not evaluate political topics, because this is public and state preparation, not political.
Any election campaigning is prohibited in the army. Even if the unit commander tries to say that there is such a leading party that increases our monetary allowance, then I will be the first to tell him that he can’t do that. That besides this party we also have other parties that pass the same laws.
I, as a political officer, can tell you how to participate in political life, but during off-duty hours. How to fight corruption, for example, through appeals to executive authorities. That is, I must give the serviceman an understanding of how he can protect his rights, including by participating in political life. But I don’t push him to make a certain choice. Thus, I close the issue with the discussion of specific political figures and their activities on the territory of the unit.

- Are classes with contract soldiers and conscripts joint?

No. Classes with these categories of military personnel have different topics. Let me clarify that the commander conducts classes with his entire unit, but I train separately with contract soldiers. At the same time, ensuring all classes - plans, notes - is all “political officer”.
In addition to classes, there is also individual educational work. Each officer must have a plan for conducting educational work with personnel. During the day, the officer is required to talk within the framework of this plan with at least one serviceman. In practice, it is often more. Not all of them are recorded and processed as expected. For example, the other day I was leaving a checkpoint and saw that the duty officer had thrown his cigarette butt onto the roadway. The squad cleans up to the roadway, but does not clean the road itself. The serviceman is “cultured”, so in order not to litter on his own property, he went and threw the cigarette butt onto the roadway. I couldn't get past this ensign. For three to five minutes I calmly and without irritation talked with him about how this shouldn’t be done. He explained why it was impossible, why after that he should not respect himself. Brought various examples, including from legislation, for moral reasons. We talked about how to make sure we don’t do this again. And he understood it.

- Does the higher command conduct any training with the “political officers” themselves?

Such classes should be held once every six months before the start of the next training period at the garrison, army, and district levels.

- Do military psychologists help you with your work?

At the level of the formation - the same brigade - there are groups psychological support. It is led by an officer - this is a captain's position, who has civilian specialists subordinate to him. This system is very effective. When previously each battalion had a psychologist position, this officer often performed only general duties. That is, he covered issues for which there were not enough general-arms officers to resolve them: he joined the squad and was involved in conducting some kind of training. When the position of psychologist was removed, they tried to shift his tasks to the political officer. But a specialist in working with personnel is not a psychologist, because they deal with more subtle matters and solve other problems. And these tasks may be beyond the capabilities of the political officer.
Now that there is a psychological support group, it is difficult to imagine the work of a “political officer” without interaction with it. Psychologists work at the unit level and issue full recommendations for each serviceman: what not to do with him, how to organize interaction with him. If the commander listens to their recommendations, then he can largely avoid any emergency situations.

- There are separate units, separate battalions, where the state does not require a psychological support group. How is psychological work organized there?

There is a frequency of psychological testing for military personnel: absolutely everyone, both soldiers and officers, undergoes it at least once every six months. It is carried out either by a visiting group of psychologists, or directly by the political officer himself. In the latter case, you need to work very clearly. It happens that an officer assigns some smart soldier to sit behind him so that he fills out the test. Not because he is hiding something, but because he doesn’t have time. And then it turns out that, based on the test results, this officer cannot be trusted with command. Then such an officer is already called directly to psychologists, and he is tested by them. There were such cases.
Officer testing is very important point. After all, they are not only responsible for themselves, but also for their personnel. It happened that officers lost their tempers and behaved inappropriately. Why is that? Because control was lost, no work was done with it. Outwardly, such an officer seems to be a scoundrel, but you begin to understand and it is clear that he is simply mired in his problems and intrapersonal contradictions.

- Has it ever happened that an officer was removed from service after studying the results of his tests?

I know of cases when a psychologist came to the commander and, without going into details, said: “ This person must be immediately removed from this or that situation and released from official duties.” The commander gives him leave, before leaving for which a psychologist works with the problem officer.

- Let me clarify: in this case, the commander is obliged to let you go on leave or can he let you go?

Maybe. But an experienced commander will not refuse the recommendations given by a psychologist.

- Is the current staff of psychologists sufficient to cover all military personnel? I remember that at my base, 2 full-time psychologists only had time to test the newly arrived reinforcements and work every day with the personnel taking guard duty.

Now the combined arms brigade has 5-6 specialists on its staff. In addition, the main thing in psychological work is to identify a risk group, that is, people who need to be put under dynamic observation. And this is not the entire composition of the brigade. These people constantly visit psychologists and receive recommendations for working with them. Also, the task of psychologists includes selecting people for sergeant positions and working with those taking guard duty.

- What does such selection for sergeant positions look like?

The commander, if he wants to promote any serviceman to the position of sergeant, collects test reports for all subjects of training - there, naturally, there should be grades of “good” and “excellent” - and recommendations from a psychologist regarding whether the candidate has the ability to command and work with personnel. For example, they may write about increased aggression, the possibility of using physical force in case of disobedience, or the inability to draw conclusions from the current situation. That is, a candidate can be a genius, with excellent training, but at the same time have antisocial behavior. Such a person is not suitable for a command position.

- You told how it should be, but in practice...?

No, no, no, they won’t appoint a sergeant in my unit... I’ll even say more, they won’t hire a contract soldier in my service without the recommendation of a psychologist. There are, of course, cases when the recommendations of a psychologist are not taken into account at all. It all depends on the commander.

- Can a soldier be placed on guard duty if there is a psychologist’s recommendation not to do this?

Of course, the commander can ignore the psychologist’s recommendation, but in this case he takes full responsibility upon himself. It is unlikely that the officer will do this, because he personally attaches the psychologist’s report to the guard sheet and confirms that he has read it.

- Are you charged with the duty of agitating military personnel to sign a contract?

There is a certain list of positions that must be filled by contract servicemen. Based on this list, each commander is given the task of selecting military personnel for contract service. Practice shows that a contract soldier from your battalion is much better than a person who came from civilian life. You don’t know the one who comes, but you know your own like a lad, since he has already proven himself in the service one way or another. You understand what to expect from him in a given situation.
The selection tasks are set quantitatively, that is, every month you must persuade approximately so many people to sign for a contract. It cannot be that no one is provided in a month.

- Is the selection plan realistic? Can it be done?

In general, yes.

- How many people per month should you recruit for contract service per month?

Roughly speaking, one person per month per company. One or two candidates out of 20 people.

- What if it doesn’t work out? Well, people don’t come, they don’t want to?

You can postpone it to the next month, but then you will need twice as much more people. It is possible, as I already said, to attract civilians. As I already said, the option of attracting is not very good, since such a person is unknown. Practice shows that then he may want to quit at any time. Like, I found a better paying job, my wife is filing for divorce, I earn little, fire me. At the same time, he simply does not want to quit because of a negative article. A formal approach to service begins, he does not want to fulfill his duties. And it turns out what we warned about: there is no need to hire a contractor from outside.

- Do I understand correctly that even now commanders are trying in every possible way to delay the dismissal of contract soldiers, so as not to receive a scolding from above due to a decrease in the level of staffing of the unit with contract servicemen? Like, why didn’t you, comrade officer, keep the person, don’t you think about the indicators?!

Yes. "You are working poorly [with personnel]! You don’t educate them!” But when a person initially enlists in the service simply to survive difficult times, and the service period is three years, it is difficult to change the approach to the work of such a contract soldier.
If a contract soldier some time after completing a three-month probationary period If the goal is to quit, then I offer them three options.
First. Still continue to serve until the end of the contract. But then the contractor’s goal is not fulfilled.
Second. Serve poorly and quit immediately. That is, we collect all the negativity and dismiss him for a “bad” article with the corresponding consequences: it is impossible to be reinstated in the service, getting into any law enforcement agencies or government agencies is problematic.
Third. We are trying to quit on a “positive” basis: relatives got sick, we need care, we found a better paying job.
Some people try to quit using the third option, but I have never seen a successful attempt.

- “Zampolit” conducts any training with officers of his unit?

There is a system for working with command staff of units. The classes explain how to work with different categories of military personnel. On specific examples We explain how, for example, to conduct personal affairs, apply disciplinary practices, interact with contract soldiers and conscripts, representatives of various nationalities, how to organize and what to talk about during national training.
To conduct such classes efficiently, it is necessary, by the way, to be present in specific units to see how the commander interacts with his subordinates. If he can’t do anything but scream and swear in the spirit of the sergeant from “Full Metal Jacket” or the character Nagiyev with the parody “10th Company”... I always give these examples, show these characters, the person looks, laughs and not always understands that he is doing the same. It is necessary to make it clear that this cannot be done and explain why it is impossible. At the same time, you should understand that you should also not say that you only need to work like this person who does everything right. Every person is different and everyone has their own working style. It’s just that everyone must understand that they must be within certain limits, beyond which they should not go.
Axiom - you can't hit. Why it’s not possible - this needs to be explained to the officer. Because as soon as you hit a person, you thereby showed him the extreme of your negative reaction. This means that the person will think that everything before the blow is possible. He doesn’t hit – and that’s okay, because his extreme reaction is to hit. The same with shouting: the louder the officer yells, based on snot and drool, the less they will listen to him when he speaks normally. At the same time, the officer may sincerely not understand what is going on: “I’m yelling at them because they don’t understand! I scream, but they don’t listen! They're all stupid freaks!" What kind of attitude can you expect from a soldier if he is told that they are all obviously freaks?! That’s why I always explain to officers that you can’t hit them, there’s no need to yell. In this case, it is necessary to separate two concepts: shouting and commanding voice. It’s one thing when you speak so that everyone can hear, it’s another when you turn purple, widen your eyes and start screaming.
And more about pedagogy. Never say something you can’t do, and if you say it, then you must do it. Pedagogy is taught in all military educational institutions. Any officer studies it, but this does not mean that he has mastered its methods and principles. Unfortunately. That’s why I always say: “Don’t promise what you won’t do. You can yell as much as you like afterwards, it won’t help. It is necessary to explain the rules of the “game”. Did you say that you will punish me for this and that? Punish. Then you will be respected, at least simply for keeping your word.”

- Do officers really listen during classes, or is it “if necessary, then we are present”? It is not difficult to imagine the possible logic of the same company commander: “I have been communicating with soldiers every day for several years now, I know what approach is needed to whom. And here a person from the outside, who has no personnel under his command, tells me something about working with military personnel.”

The attitude towards your activities stems from the degree of responsibility with which you approach the performance of your duties. I entered this profession deliberately and I like the work I do. There are negative aspects to any activity that I don't really like, including any negative attitude with which I am treated. But this is until people are confronted with the results of my work. This is not to say that I’m such a cool “political officer.” No. It’s just that if you yourself treat your events and subjects as the most important, when you live it all yourself, force the officers to do it and hold them accountable for it, then the attitude will be appropriate. “Look, he fights to the end!” That is, they will no longer tell me that the UCP is not needed, that information can be skipped.

- Are there requirements for “political officers” to speak foreign languages?

No knowledge requirements foreign languages To officers not presented, with the exception of some intelligence units. This is often a problem, especially in events outside the Russian Federation. I know of a case when our military personnel, as UN peacekeepers, participated in joint patrols in the zone of one armed conflict. Translator, officer of one of the countries former USSR, quite freely translated what our officers said. Quite freely. It was clear that something was wrong, but none of our peacekeepers spoke English properly.

Political officers will return to the Armed Forces. Deputy commanders of military units for educational work will become deputies for military-political work. Not only will the job title change, the scope of their responsibilities will also be adjusted. Political officers will be responsible for the patriotism of military personnel and provide a “deep understanding” of state policy in the field of defense, whereas previously the main priority was maintaining discipline and educating personnel.

Ideologically convinced

The Ministry of Defense told Izvestia that the department had developed a draft presidential decree on amending the general military regulations of the Armed Forces. New positions will be introduced in the army and navy - deputy commander of a regiment (ship of the 1st rank), battalion, company, echelon and garrison for military-political work. They will replace the deputies in charge of educational work. The document is at the stage of departmental approvals.

The purpose of introducing military-political work in the Armed Forces is “the formation of a professionally trained, ideologically convinced, strong-spirited personality of a serviceman, cohesive and coherent military teams capable of carrying out tasks... in any conditions... ensuring moral superiority when performing troops (forces) ) combat training missions,” stated in the explanatory note to the project.

The Ministry of Defense is forming the Main Military-Political Directorate (GlavVoenPUR). The process must be completed by December 1 of this year. During this time, the staffing structure of GlavVoenPUR, its powers will be determined and personnel decisions will be made.

First after commander

The draft decree, which Izvestia reviewed, notes that deputy commanders of a regiment (ship of the 1st rank) for military-political work will become direct superiors for all personnel and will report directly to the commanders of regiments or ships.

They will be responsible for carrying out military-political work (VPW). The VPR should ensure “deep understanding and support” by personnel of state defense policy. The area of ​​responsibility of political officers is the formation of high military-professional, combat, moral-political and psychological qualities, loyalty to military duty and the military oath.

They will be required to know the “moral, political and psychological state” of military personnel and promptly report the situation to the commander. Political officers will be engaged in strengthening unity of command, preserving military and state secrets by soldiers and officers. The formation of patriotism, vigilance and responsibility among military personnel is also prescribed.

To do this, political officers must conduct classes on military-political training; they will be responsible for “military-political informing personnel about events in the world and in the Russian Federation, the life and combat training activities of the Armed Forces,” as well as for measures to explain to personnel the latest “decisions of the President of the Russian Federation - Supreme Commander-in-Chief”.

Closer to the soldier

In battalions and companies, political officers will be closer to the personnel. The battalion commander will need to know the moral, political and military-professional qualities of each officer, warrant officer and sergeant. Participate in the selection of departments, crews and crews, taking into account psychological compatibility, religiosity and attitude towards service.

The company political officer will be responsible, among other things, for creating an asset, selecting an editor for the combat leaflet, and planning events held in the leisure room. He will have to know the requests and needs of the soldiers and maintain contact with their relatives and friends. He will have to carry out activities to prevent crime and deviant behavior, as well as to prevent drug addiction among personnel.

Against information war

The duties of political officers will differ from those performed by educators. They will focus on classes on military-political training and political information. The main task of the educators was to maintain military discipline and educational work itself “taking into account national and psychological characteristics, level of education and attitude to religion of each serviceman.”

The new project talks about “forming the moral, political and psychological readiness of military personnel to carry out training and combat missions.”

But the concept of moral and psychological support (MPS), that is, maintaining the ability of military personnel to carry out combat missions in extreme conditions. MPO classes provide soldiers and officers with confidence in their abilities and military equipment, faith in the correctness of their actions and psychological stability - that is, those qualities without which successful combat operations are impossible.

The troops will not be left without moral and psychological support, says Alexander Kanshin, deputy chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defense.

IN modern conditions information warfare on the world stage, this work requires strengthening,” he noted. - There is an external reason - the need to counteract the information war. There is also an internal one. Our country is multinational and multi-religious, and the army should be a single organism. People with different views different religion, different education should be united by political and educational work.

New emphasis will be placed on the work of people responsible for the psychological microclimate in connections. At the same time, the army will not serve political forces.

Political activities will return, but without communist ideology, the expert noted. - There won’t be anything superficial. Patriotism must be instilled in military personnel, and they must know the Constitution and laws.

Izvestia Help

Commissars appeared in the Red Army in 1918. They supervised the activities of the command of military units and were responsible for propaganda work.

Later, they received the right to interfere in the work of commanders. Subsequently, the institution of commissars was replaced by the institution of deputy commanders for political affairs (political officers). In 1991, they were replaced by deputy commanders for educational work.