Dialog in the Novosibirsk metro.

"As soon as I went downstairs today, I realized that the elections were coming up..."

"What's this," the other man chuckles, "is there a polling station in your building?"

- I think they've opened one for you, too. Haven't you noticed that all the mailboxes are filled with newspapers we don't subscribe to? Now we'll be getting free newspapers for about three months. We'll be reading so many detective stories...

The people around them are laughing. The picture described by their fellow travelers is familiar to everyone.

Leaving aside the humorous tone, we can say that Novosibirsk, with its population of 1.5 million, is perhaps the most politicized city in Western Siberia. This is evidenced by various sociological studies, the number of registered political parties and associations, the frequent visits to the "capital of Siberia" by leaders of the Duma factions, and the abundance of newspaper publications per capita. Political battles related to the election campaigns for the city and regional councils, as well as for the State Duma, which take place in the region at different times, are almost permanent here. This can be easily seen from the city's appearance. When passing through its central square, Lenin Square, one can often see protesters in the park opposite the Opera House. Without delving into the analysis of the current situation, I would like to point out that Novosibirsk is a city with a strong defense and scientific potential in the recent past. This is what defines his active social and political credo. The current election campaign has begun here with great momentum, almost without any delay. This is due to the fact that the elections to the State Duma almost coincide with the elections for the governor of the region. There were more than enough applicants for this position.

And what was supposed to happen happened: the struggle for voters' souls began. People in military uniforms are fully aware of this. Until recently, a significant number of military units were stationed in the Novosibirsk region, attracting a variety of party and political agitators. This is understandable. The compact living of a large number of voters is very convenient for conducting propaganda work. Despite the fact that the Law on the Status of Military Personnel restricts the forms of military participation in political life, this does not stop those who want to gain additional votes. Recently, there has been an increase in attention to military units.

Colonel Gennady Vladimirovich Momot, Deputy Commander of the Guards Missile Division for Educational Work, says:

- Due to the upcoming elections to the State Duma, as well as to local self-government bodies, this year we have a very early electoral boom. We can feel this in the influx of" guests " at the checkpoint who want to hold conversations with soldiers on a variety of topics, in the phone calls of "non-standard lecturers" who are also eager to get a soldier's audience, and in the appearance of newspapers and leaflets describing the merits of a particular candidate for deputy. However, this is how it was before, only now it is in a more offensive and active form. We will deal with this. This is not our first election campaign, and we have good experience in this regard.

The calm confidence with which Gennady Vladimirovich spoke about his difficult and arduous work was captivating. I had often discussed these topics with commanders and their deputies from other units and formations, and I often encountered a dismissive and humorous response: "It's not a major issue for us, just an occasional event, and we'll get through it somehow."

In the Guards Missile Division, which is currently commanded by Major General Valery Mikhailovich Mazurov, the preparation for elections of any rank, from presidential to local, is an integral part of the system of education and public and state training. This can be easily observed by taking a closer look at the current activities in the units. As in previous years, the election headquarters has primarily studied and summarized the experience of the past years. This included a thorough examination of the fundamental documents regarding the rights and responsibilities of military personnel during the election campaign.

"It's not that simple," continues Colonel Gennady Momot. "In order to explain the legal framework of elections to modern soldiers, who are often not very literate, it is necessary to go through a pile of laws, decrees, and other regulatory documents. For example, the Federal Law "On the Status of Military Personnel" restricts the forms of military participation in political activities during election campaigns. The Federal Law "On Military Duty and Military Service" provides for the suspension of military service if a person in uniform is elected as a deputy. At the same time, the Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees equal rights for citizens to participate in election campaigns. This contradiction can be resolved by carefully examining and distinguishing between the following: can a military unit conduct political activities, and what are the personal rights of a military personnel as a citizen in this regard? How can these complex issues be explained to soldiers?

Colonel Momot asked this question in order to answer it himself. In the division where he serves, such problems are successfully resolved. However, a few years ago, when preparations were underway for the State Duma elections, neither he nor his subordinates from the department of educational work had such optimism.

It all started with a questionnaire. At the first coordination meeting on the upcoming elections, Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Zhidkov, Deputy Commander of one of the units for educational work, said:

- Of course, we've come up with a great plan, but my individual interviews with the soldiers have revealed that the topics we've chosen for our discussions during the personnel information and social and state training sessions are too complex for them. We didn't take into account that even in our units, which are considered to have a high level of education, 45% of the soldiers have only completed 8 or 9 years of schooling, and sometimes they can barely read. We need to start with the basics. To find out what they're thinking right now...

That's when they launched a questionnaire among the departments, which at first glance contained the most basic questions: "What do you know about elections?", "What is a parliament?", "Why do people vote?", "Explain the concepts of appointing and electing a person to a position?", and so on.

The responses showed that the previously planned work needed to be seriously revised, starting with the basics, i.e., the gradual complexity of the topics of interviews, lectures, and reports. Additional topics were added to the information sessions and public-service training classes, such as "Parliamentarism in World History," "History of Parliamentarism in Russia," and "Elections in the USSR and Modern Russia." It was only after these well-developed topics that educational officers, Lieutenant Colonels V. Bilyuchenko, S. Zhidkov, V. Danilevsky, A. Duchenko and others began to introduce more complex ones:" The Constitution and legislation of the Russian Federation on the electoral right of citizens", "The Laws of the Russian Federation" On Defense "and" On the status of military personnel"in relation to the election campaign" etc.

It is well known that information is better remembered and assimilated during non-standard, informal events, which is why the question-and-answer evenings held for young voters in units where Major Y. Melnikov and Major A. Pskovykin were the commanders' assistants for educational work soon gained popularity.

"You're playing with toys," the skeptics told the officers, "but how can you make an evening about such a boring topic interesting and entertaining?"

It turns out that it is possible, if on such an evening to hold a competition with a prize draw and even arrange a small concert with the members of the ensemble "Russian Song". This is probably why no one was surprised when the missile division units held instructor-methodical classes on the topic "How to use the ballot paper correctly during voting". Moreover, the classes were not theoretical, but practical, where there were ballot boxes, booths, and improvised ballots. This was considered not a minor detail, given that even more well-prepared people who already work in elected bodies sometimes spoil their ballots during voting. However, this has never happened here.

And quite naturally, as if summing up the preparatory work done, a single information day on the topic "Elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation - an important event in the life of society and the state"became for rocket scientists.

The new information is most actively assimilated when it is presented in an informal, non-standard "wrapper." This role is played by divisional television in the Pashinsky garrison near Novosibirsk, which we are discussing. It is a separate story about the efforts made by retired Major General Karim Kamalov, the former commander of the division, to secure a broadcasting channel, and the efforts made by Major Evgeny Rubel, the head of the garrison's cultural center, and Ensign Gennady Stukov to establish the program releases.

Something else is important. In the evenings, when officers and their wives come home from work and work, they turn on their native Channel Seven ,and the friendly face of Svetlana Turusheva appears, saying: "Good evening, dear rocket scientists! Today I will tell you what happened at our "sites", how our husbands worked. The Chairman of the Women's Council, Valentina Gorbacheva, will tell you about sending our children to summer camps. You will also meet with the Chairman of the Election Commission, Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Zhidkov, who will answer your questions... And at the very end, as always, a concert based on your requests. Call us. And we are starting our program with military news...

I have dwelt on this in detail because there is a special magical appeal to local garrison television and radio. When people who are not indifferent to this matter are involved, such as in the missile division, then such radio and television brings together the families of servicemen, and unites military collectives. After all, familiar people appear on the screen every day, and their affairs are discussed. And here you cannot fake, or be disingenuous, or lie, because everyone knows each other.

It's nice that the election campaign has found its permanent representation on the divisional television. And from this, one's own screen, seemingly dry and boring things about the verification of voter lists, about early voting, about instructions to candidates for deputies become close and understandable, because they are specific. By the way, about candidates for deputies. Former division commander, retired Major General K. Kamalov, ran for the State Duma and later for the Novosibirsk City Council...

I will make a small digression on this subject. We don't have many deputies from the former military. Why are they nominated at all? In most cases, in order to try to solve the army's pressing issues in the government. And who knows them better than the military? Moreover, civilian deputies often let their military constituents down. When the election campaign is underway, many candidates for various levels of parliamentary seats turn their attention to military units, hoping to quickly and easily gain the necessary votes. During this process, a great deal of promises are made. It is said that once they are elected, they will do everything in their power to solve both financial and housing issues. However, as time passes, the elected representative often forgets about "military matters." That's why voters in military uniforms are trying to support their candidates from the military, hoping that they can at least move the proverbial cart of military problems.

In the recent past, in the Novosibirsk region, only a few people from the army environment were nominated as candidates for deputies of various ranks. To the State Duma - Major E. Loginov, Major General K. Kamalov. In the regional council - Major General of the Internal Troops V. Laukhin and Colonel V. Terentyev-Deputy regional military commissar for educational work. In the city council - Colonel A. Besedin and Major General K. Kamalov. Among the listed candidates, E. Loginov was elected to the State Duma. No one was elected to the regional council, and A. Besedin worked in the earlier city council. Currently, the council includes retired Major General K. Kamalov.

Even in this local example, we can see how low the "passability" of people in uniform is. Who will competently represent their interests?

Karim Kamalov explains his defeat in the State Duma elections with a smile and a simple, disheartening statement:

- I couldn't win. The money won...

Kamalov, the former commander of the famous Guards division, was very much loved and was called the People's General behind his back. This was probably because he paid attention to every detail of the division's life. However, this is evidently a characteristic of missile strategists - to do everything meticulously and thoroughly, so that there are no flaws in their work. Perhaps it was instilled in him by his large family, where five of his siblings became officers. At least, when he was given instructions during his election to the city council, they were sure that he would fulfill them, because even before becoming a deputy, he helped everyone he could. He helped war and labor veterans, large families, and sick children. But the instructions were more important: to get a bus route to the city (25 km away), to petition for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the "Afghan" Amosov, and to name a street in the military town after him; to pave the road and alleviate the housing situation. 500 families in the garrison need apartments, and young officers are living in apartments, barracks, the House of Culture, and barracks.

The orders were not easy. He consistently took on their implementation. The road was paved, a regular bus service was established to the city, and the brave Siberian Amosov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero, and a street in the Pashinsky garrison was named after him, and 72 families received apartments, and he managed to employ more than a hundred reserve officers...

"A general is a general, even if he's retired," voters say about him.

I think it's not just about that. It's about the special training of the missile launchers, who, no matter what they're doing, whether it's a precise missile launch or an election campaign, do it thoroughly and reliably. This is what strategic missile launchers are known for.

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