Boris Andreevich Ryzhikov was born on June 19, 1950 in Nivograd-Volynsky, Zhytomyr region.

After graduating in 1970 from the Leningrad School of Military Communications (with honors), he served as an assistant military commandant at the Bologoe station of the Oktyabrskaya Railway.

In 1976, he graduated with honors from the Military Academy of Logistics and Transport. Later he served in the Turkestan Military District. He held the positions of military commandant of railway sections and stations Mary and Tashkent. C / 98 5 years of service in the Central Directorate of Military Communications.

In December 1994, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was appointed Deputy Head of the MCC VSO of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

He was awarded the Order" For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", III degree.

The tasks solved by the Military Communications Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are complex and diverse. Transport support for the redeployment of troops, movement of material resources and valuables, timely delivery of everything necessary to remote areas - all these issues are addressed by VSO specialists.

However, we are more likely to encounter commandant's office officers on transport when there are problems of a less global nature, but they are directly related to each of us: how to go on vacation, treatment, how to avoid conflict situations with auditors on electric trains, etc.?

On the eve of the mass vacation period, we requested an interview with the Deputy head of the VSO MCC, Major General Boris Ryzhikov.

- Comrade Major General, in the summer for the VSO service, it is really a "hot" time. However, most people in uniform probably also think about solving the upcoming transport problems. Will the holiday-99 period be less full of problems than the previous ones?

- This year, the situation with the transportation of military personnel and their families will not change dramatically. In previous years, there were some difficulties associated with air transportation. Currently, there are more than 300 airlines operating in the country. We maintain relationships with 90 of them. But only twenty airlines regularly accept military transport documents (VPDs). This creates problems for both the military and us. Of course, the situation is not hopeless. As in recent years, together with the General Staff of the Air Force, we have prepared a directive from the Chief of the General Staff with a timetable for the movement of military transport aircraft. Transport companies are mainly focused on the regions of the Far East and the Far North. We perfectly understand the desire of the same Far Easterners to escape to the south, to their native lands, for recreation. And if they do not accept VPD, there are few who have the means to purchase tickets for cash - all hope is for military aviators. We must pay tribute to them, they are coping with their task successfully. Another thing is that sometimes there is no kerosene, because of this, the flight schedule is disrupted. It also happens differently. We are sent a request, for example, from Kamchatka - to send a "board" there. We will send it by the appointed time. And the plane then stands for days for the reason that vacationers can not be calculated in a timely manner in their parts - there is no money. But this, as you know, is our common problem.

The situation with the railway passage is better, and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the military personnel: rely on rail transportation as much as possible. We have established good partnership relations with the Ministry of Railways. As of January 1 of this year, we liquidated our debt to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And although after the first quarter there were again debts to this department, the management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is sympathetic to our problems.

I will say this: the situation will not get any worse than it was, that's for sure.

Better? We hope for this and do our best.

The worst year for us was 1996. At that time, up to 1,000 military personnel and their families would sometimes congregate at Domodedovo Airport. This, of course, will not happen again. Vacation is given for rest, not for getting a headache.

- Boris Andreevich, you said that many airlines practically do not accept VISAS from military personnel of the Ministry of Defense. Officers and ensigns are forced to purchase tickets for cash, and then wait six months for reimbursement of transportation costs. Are there any hopes that this year the aviators will finally return the "favored treatment" in relation to the military personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation?

- The fact is that the overwhelming majority of airlines are joint-stock companies. The Federal Aviation Service, which oversees them, does not have the right to restrict activities in the commercial sphere. And if the company refuses to accept the VPD, no one has the right to prevent it from doing so. We are rightly told: pay off your debts, and everything will go, as you say, in the "favored nation" mode. We partially pay off the debt. Since the beginning of this year, we have been receiving more "live" money from the federal budget. Our capabilities have expanded. But old, very significant debts confuse our hands and feet. So the prospects are directly dependent on how soon we will be able to eliminate the accumulated debt. For 1998, it is several hundred million rubles. Approximately the same amount for 1997. As a positive trend, I would point out the fact that this year, for the first three months, we carried out current calculations almost on time. The debt is about 5 million rubles, as you understand, it is not hundreds of millions. In addition, we manage to maintain a partnership balance with major air carriers, such as Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Krasnoyarsk Airlines.

- As always, military passengers on the next transit route will have the most difficult time. What kind of assistance is the VSO service preparing to provide them this time?

- I must admit that there is no particular problem here. At the point of departure and at the place of transfer, the serviceman addresses the duty assistant or directly to the military commandant of the station or station, and all questions are resolved.

There is the most optimal option-registration of a direct reserved seat. However, it is necessary to take care of it in advance, forty-five to three days before the planned departure date. In this case, the passenger receives a ticket, for example, from Novosibirsk to Moscow and from Moscow, for example, to Leningrad, indicating the car and place.

But I will repeat once again: we cannot postpone the solution of transport issues until the last day.

- Boris Andreevich, but how to get out of such a situation, for example? The serviceman, going on a long-term trip, did not purchase the TYPE of return ticket. At the destination, they refused to issue him a cashless ticket. What to do?

- I can only advise you to think about everything in advance. By the way, situations like the one described above occur quite often. Therefore, the best way out is to take round-trip tickets at the point of departure. Moreover, the time that a serviceman spends on vacation away from home is on average thirty days, and tickets can be taken in 45 days.

Another option is also possible. If an air ticket does not accept an air ticket, you can contact the nearest military commandant for transport modes, who will issue an air ticket for the appropriate transport. Here, as I have already said, there should be fewer problems.

- Currently, for well-known reasons, the total passenger traffic has thinned, but the number of vehicles has also decreased. In this regard, it is appropriate to ask: what has changed in the work of military commandant's offices on transport, more or, on the contrary, less worries have become? And finally, what weight does the once-cherished word "armor"have today?

"The so-called armor hasn't existed for several years. Frankly speaking, this has caused some difficulties for our local employees. Now it is necessary to build interaction with our civil colleagues on the principles of trust and partnership. VSO officers almost everywhere have well-established contacts with employees of railway stations and railway departments. They always meet our employees halfway, understanding the difficult socio-economic situation in which they find themselves. So military personnel can be calm. If there is a minimum opportunity, their passage will be provided.

I will give just one example that demonstrates the attitude of the IPU towards us. The Railway Department provided premises in Moscow on Mozhaiskiy Val for the VSO Representative Office at the Central Railway Agency, renovated it, and equipped it with everything necessary. By the way, there are practically no queues at the agency. Even at peak times, there are no more than 10-15 people here.

- Comrade General, allow me to ask you now a "non-seasonal" but very painful question for many. In the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation serve officers and ensigns who started in the army life from the once Soviet republics. Now these are the countries of the near abroad. Naturally, many people in their small homeland still have parents, burial sites of relatives and friends, and not everyone can go to the water regions. "Travel cards are valid only on the territory of Russia, the officer's salary is more than modest, you will not run over at your own expense. Please tell me, can the situation change in the foreseeable future?

- This problem needs to be solved for a long time, and we are working on various proposals. So, in particular, on the instructions of the Ministry of Defense, our specialists have prepared a draft decree of the Government of the Russian Federation "On the procedure for reimbursement of expenses related to the transportation of military personnel, citizens dismissed from military service, and their family members, as well as their personal property." This document establishes free travel on the territory of all republics of the former Soviet Union in cases stipulated by the Law "On the Status of Military Personnel".

At the moment, the draft resolution has been sent to the interested ministries and departments and is currently being approved. Unfortunately, the conclusions that we have already received do not inspire much optimism. The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Economy expressed an unfavorable assessment for the Ministry of Defense.

Now we are working on the so-called "sheets of disagreements", which together with the draft we have prepared will be submitted to the Government of the Russian Federation for decision-making. In general, we will fight and defend the interests of the country's armed defenders. We have arguments for this.

- Boris Andreevich, what was the reason for the recent experiment involving the passage of military personnel in suburban trains? The introduction of VPD in electric trains was met very coolly in the troops, adding to the troubles of both the military personnel themselves-passengers, and the combatant departments of military units. The experiment has been discontinued since the new year. Will it be continued in the future?

- Indeed, during two months of last year (November - December), an experiment was conducted with the use of military transport documents in suburban railway transport. But I don't share your assessment. First of all, the introduction of the VPD did not bring anything extra burdensome. After all, the military personnel on the basis of the order of the head of the Rear of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation-Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel-General V. Isakov could write out requirements not only for one-time trips, but also for the purchase of monthly travel passes for suburban railway services. Secondly, we were finally able to get a picture of the real military passenger traffic in this type of transport from the reporting documents. The availability of financial statements allowed us to contact the Ministry of Finance with requests for specific amounts for settlements with the Ministry of Railways.

By the way, the experiment was planned to be continued by mutual agreement with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And this would only benefit the military personnel. After all, according to the Transport Charter of the railways of the Russian Federation, travel on railway transport must necessarily be carried out only if the passenger has a ticket. VPD allowed the serviceman to purchase a ticket for free. That's what's important here.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Justice saw the illegitimacy of the action and ordered the Ministry of Defense to withdraw the corresponding telegram from the head of the Rear of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In the future, send this document for examination and registration to the Ministry of Justice. Thus, the experiment was not continued. Who benefited from this? Judge for yourself. Until March of this year, military personnel used the suburban railway service upon presentation of an identity card. But on 16.03.99, signed by the Deputy Minister of Railways V. Ilyin, a telegram was sent to all the heads of railways of the Russian Federation, obliging them to transport military personnel for cash.

Fortunately, these requirements are not fully met on all roads. The heads of the VSO departments conducted appropriate explanatory work with colleagues from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, simply put, they asked the auditors not to show official zeal exclusively in relation to military personnel. They listened to us, but the problem remains unresolved.

"Still, there must be a way out. Is it normal if a soldier, getting on an electric train, will always hope for the favor of the controllers?

- We are working on this issue with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The head of the VSO MCC, Lieutenant-General G. Sokolov, discussed this problem with the Deputy Ministers of Railways. We have high hopes for the draft decree of the Government of the Russian Federation that we have already discussed. It also stipulates, in particular, that military personnel can use commuter rail services upon presentation of an identity card.

- What are the chances of approving a resolution that is so necessary for military personnel?

- I will not lie, the fate of the document promises to be difficult. Its adoption will probably require a strong-willed decision of the Government of the Russian Federation. But there is no other way now. Service people are brought, in fact, to the line of impoverishment. In the end, there must be an epiphany, and those who are invested with supreme power will finally understand that the armed defenders of the country also need protection...

"I'd like to believe that. Thank you, Boris Andreevich, for the conversation.

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