Igor Dmitrievich, why do we need the Military Leaders Club? Who is the author of the idea?
When you are in the ranks, sometimes with the daily “routine” you don’t have enough time to look back, to see those who are no longer in military service, those who, as they say, “squeezed out their whole soul” for the sake of serving the Fatherland and continue to look with hope on what is happening in the country with thoughts about the future of the Motherland. And you are surrounded by a large number of military leaders of various levels, departments, in full physical and mental health, and you begin to understand that this unspent human potential - intellectual, organizational, scientific - is not fully in demand by the state.
The current stage of building the state's military organization, associated with the transition to qualitative indicators of its combat effectiveness, inevitably leads to a reduction in its number. It just so happened, but the military leaders who were transferred to the reserve were far from retirement age. And this is also considerable potential, and primarily of an administrative and organizational level.
I will express the opinion of many senior military leaders of all Russian security forces: they can still serve with their knowledge and vast experience of Russia and the cause of strengthening peace on our planet.
All this served as the reason for the creation of an organization that could unite military leaders from all security forces to solve the most important tasks of the current stage of development of our state.
I discussed this idea with the leadership of all ministries and departments of the security bloc, the leadership of the Administration of the President of Russia and received support. Concentrated approval was also received from the Pobeda organizing committee.
I think the Club should become a structure that could accumulate ideas and proposals from the military community, intelligence services and law enforcement agencies, not only those transferred to the reserve or retired, but also those who are in service. This Club, in my opinion, can be used in the interests of the newly created Public Chamber and serve as a highly professional, influential expert structure for assessing decisions made in the country.
As for the authorship, from what has been said, it is probably clear that this is the fruit of the joint work of many fellow military leaders, authoritative politicians, businessmen, who care about the country and its future. The path to realizing this idea was sufficient and took at least four years.
What are the Club's immediate plans? How does he intend to participate in government programs of a military-patriotic and social nature?
We legally formalized our status on February 15, 2005. In accordance with the Club's charter, we need to form an organizational structure and, first of all, create regional branches throughout Russia. This fall we plan to hold the All-Russian Forum of Russian Military Leaders, the purpose of which will be to consolidate the country’s military elite in solving the most important state tasks set for society by Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Undoubtedly, military-patriotic issues will be a major part of our plans. We intend to carry out this work primarily not in the capital or large cities, although we will certainly have our influence there too. Let's start it, as they say, from the outback. Our first step in this direction was taken in the Tver region in October 2004, even before the official registration of the Club and served as an impetus for the activation of the youth patriotic movement in regional centers. This work is widely supported by local authorities, various military formations, and public organizations.
Regarding social issues, I must note: the goal of our organization is not charitable activities, although they may take place under certain circumstances. Unfortunately, the country's defenders, when they retire, most often remain the most unprotected in their Fatherland. It’s time, apparently, to delve into their problems more deeply and in detail.
The defender of the country and its citizens must live with dignity, his family and children must look confidently into the future. This postulate is valid in all developed countries and should be implemented here.
The question arises: how to do this? Hasn't anyone done this? Work in this direction has been and continues to be carried out, but, unfortunately, it is built on a departmental basis, and this has never benefited everyone. There is a certain “swing”: they gave it to them, after a while there is a struggle for others. After a certain time - all over again. Some kind of perpetual motion machine. Not only a specific person suffers, but first of all the state, its prestige, its defense capability suffer. Therefore, having united in a single Club, we, the military leaders of all law enforcement agencies, using our experience, intend to develop proposals for the President of Russia, the government, and the legislative branch in order to solve this pressing problem in a civilized manner. The Russian officer was never rich, but he was never poor either.
I think we need to rethink the very term “social protection” and move to the term “social guarantee”. The state, hiring citizens to defend the Fatherland, must constitutionally guarantee them and their families a decent life both during service and after transfer to the reserve, and these guarantees should not depend on the ability or desire of any official. This is how it is done in many civilized countries, and this should be the case here too.
To what extent will Club members be able to influence the processes taking place in the army? Will they submit proposals for modernizing the military organization of the state to the power structures, the Federal Assembly?
I have already partially answered this question. However, I must make one remark. Our Club represents the interests of all law enforcement agencies, therefore, of course, it will look for points of application of forces and influence not only on the processes taking place in the army, but also on the entire system of national security, law enforcement measures in the state, taking into account the threats of the 21st century (terrorism, drug addiction, smuggling, etc.).
At the same time, taking into account the goals and objectives of the Club, it can have a certain influence on the preparation of proposals for choosing military development priorities. Especially in creating favorable conditions for increasing the prestige and attractiveness of military service, the level of social protection of military personnel, their families and those dismissed from military service, organizing the patriotic education of citizens, their preparation for military service and many other issues relating to one of the main components of the military power of the state - combat readiness of the Armed Forces and other troops.
Who will become members of the club? What selection criteria will its founders be guided by?
There is no membership in the Club as such, and there will be no “party cards.” Any military leader who wishes to benefit our state within the framework of the statutory goals of the Club can be a member of the Club.
As for the selection criteria, since the times of Peter the Great they have formed the basis for serving the Fatherland of the entire officer corps of Russia, destined in the words of Peter the Great: “If only Russia lives, glory, honor and well-being is ours...”. I hope these words of Peter will become the motto of our Club.
How will the Club work with government agencies, public organizations and the media? How close will the connection be with those who care about the future of the Russian Armed Forces, army and navy veterans, those who today stand guard over the Fatherland?
Our communication with official structures and the media will be the closest and most open. The Club has a coordination council, which, in agreement with the heads of law enforcement agencies, will include their representatives. In addition, we plan to actively interact with the Presidential Administration and the apparatus of the Government of Russia, the Federal Assembly.
As for public organizations, we are already actively cooperating and interacting with them. We have established good contacts with various veteran organizations, societies uniting cultural and artistic workers, and creative workers. We welcome these contacts and consider them mutual spiritual enrichment aimed at achieving a true civil society in Russia.
Today it is extremely important to restore intelligence to a military man (what distinguished a man in the uniform of a Russian officer in past times). This is another one of the tasks of personality formation in the Russian military organization. Either it will be resolved, or a further decline in the social prestige of the army is inevitable. The intelligence of an officer, as it seems to me, is education and culture, honesty and morality, patriotism and valor.
I believe that the “Military Leaders Club” will help raise the officer corps to the proper level of honor and dignity. The importance and necessity of such a public organization is obvious. It will be a kind of bridge between the state and society, a kind of circulatory system with reliable feedback.
The Department of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Government of the Ivanovo Region revealed violations of the law by the Russian Military Leaders Club and its leader, the former head of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Vladimir Dmitrin.
The report of the Department of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Ivanovo Region on the implementation of federal state hunting supervision in 2017 contains information about the inspection of the non-profit organization “Military Leaders Club of Russia” (ANO “Military Leaders Club of the Russian Federation”). The President is the former Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Army General Anatoly Kulikov. The head of the organization, chairman of the board is Kulikov’s classmate at the military school, former commander of the Internal Troops group in Chechnya, former head of the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Vladimir Dmitrin.
On the website of the Military Leaders Club, Army General Kulikov addresses readers:
“The Military Leaders Club of the Russian Federation, created with the support of the President of Russia, unites in its ranks the highest officer corps of our country.
As a public organization, the Club took its place and took its rightful place in the system of patriotic education, strengthening and development of Russian society, and resolving international problems.
Members of the Club, serving, transferred to the reserve and retired, based their practical work on the main principles of the Club: statehood, patriotism, spirituality. Thousands of military leaders dismissed from service are ready to continue to benefit their state in a new capacity.
The programs implemented by the Club contribute to the resolution of many, but, unfortunately, not all social problems. Veteran military leaders undoubtedly deserve more attention both from the state and from Russian society and business.
I wish all interested parties fruitful collaboration with the Military Leaders Club of the Russian Federation for the benefit of our Fatherland.”
And Ivanovo environmental officials had some other complaints against these people.
Based on the results of an audit of compliance by the Military Leaders Club of the Russian Federation with the legislation of the Russian Federation on hunting and on the conservation of hunting resources, it was established:
– the properly executed documents requested as part of the scheduled inspection were not provided in the prescribed manner. This circumstance did not allow us to assess the compliance of the activities of the Military Leaders Club with the mandatory requirements of the Federal Law “On Hunting and the Conservation of Hunting Resources” and the corresponding order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation
– according to the documents of the Military Leaders Club available in the department during the inspection period, it was established that the scheme for the use and protection of the hunting ground assigned to the organization had not been developed, which violated the mandatory requirements of the Federal Law and orders of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation
– The Club of Military Leaders of the Russian Federation has fully violated the mandatory requirements of Article 41 of the Federal Law “On Hunting and the Conservation of Hunting Resources.”
The Department of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Ivanovo Region reports that the identified violations were committed both by a legal entity - the ANO "Military Leaders Club of the Russian Federation", and by its official - Chairman of the Board Vladimir Dmitrin.
In connection with the identified violations of the ANO "Military Leaders' Club of the Russian Federation", a corresponding order was issued, and measures were also taken to bring reserve lieutenant general Vladimir Dmitrin and the Russian Military Leaders' Club itself to administrative responsibility.
The first joint ceremonial meeting of the Committee on Defense and Security and the Club of Military Leaders of Russia, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Red Army, was held in the Federation Council.
Opening the meeting, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Yuri Vorobyov reminded those gathered about the historical traditions of the people to honor their soldiers.
“From time immemorial, Rus' has honored the defenders of the Fatherland, leaving evidence in chronicles of great military exploits and examples of personal courage in the name of the fatherland,” he noted. - Today, together with the Military Leaders Club, we are holding a joint meeting dedicated to a significant event - the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
Yuri Vorobyov. photo: pg / Igor Samokhvalov
According to the senator, since the appearance of the holiday in our calendar, it has been renamed several times, but despite this it remains unchanged in its content and level of popular respect.
“This is a day that unites many generations of defenders. The holiday of those who are ready at any moment to defend our Motherland with arms in hand,” he emphasized.
Boris Utkin. photo: pg / Igor Samokhvalov
Among the invitees was a legendary personality - Colonel General Boris Utkin. A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, he took part in the military parade on November 7, 1941. He went through the entire war, liberating Hungary and Austria. Awarded many orders and medals. It is symbolic that on February 23 the veteran has a double holiday: this year he turns 95 years old. He is only five years younger than the Red Army.
On behalf of the Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, Vice Speaker Yuri Vorobyov presented the renowned general with gratitude “for his great contribution to strengthening the country’s defense capability.”
Courage and professionalism have always been and remain a distinctive feature of our army, says the head of the Defense Committee of the Federation Council, Viktor Bondarev. He noted that Victory in the Great War was forged not only by the heroism of the soldiers, but also by the hard work of domestic designers who created the best weapons, as well as the talent of our military leaders.
Viktor Bondarev (right) and Anatoly Kulikov. photo: pg / Igor Samokhvalov.
In turn, the President of the Russian Military Leaders Club, Army General Anatoly Kulikov noted that the new generation of defenders is fulfilling their duty with dignity, so “they are not ashamed of their ancestors.”
“We see that the army is being revived, we have witnessed its military-technical renewal, but this is not the main thing,” says the general. - Feats in Syria and Dagestan indicate that our invincible spirit is also being reborn. This is exactly what Russia’s potential opponents fear!”
The head of the Club of Russian Military Leaders, Anatoly Kulikov, expressed hope that joint ceremonial meetings in the Federation Council will become traditional, after which he accepted the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security into the ranks of the community of military leaders. Viktor Bondarev was solemnly presented with a “club card”, which, according to Kulikov, had been waiting for its new owner since 2012. However, due to the heavy workload at work, Viktor Bondarev was able to receive it only now.
The Club of Military Leaders of the Russian Federation was founded on January 31, 2005 with the support of the President of the Russian Federation and heads of law enforcement agencies. This is an all-Russian public organization that unites the highest operational and strategic management level of the Russian military organization. It consists of more than a thousand active, reserve and retired senior officers of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSB, Foreign Intelligence Service, Ministry of Emergency Situations and other law enforcement agencies.
Having united within the framework of the Club, the country's military elite continues to work in the interests of strengthening the defense capability of the state and the formation of civil society.
photo: pg / Igor Samokhvalov.
Members of the Club act as experts in specialized committees of the Federation Council and State Duma, participate in the development of legislative acts, and actively cooperate with the media.
“The threats have changed”
On Thursday, in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions, the Club of Military Leaders of the Russian Federation celebrated its 10th anniversary. No other hall in the country has ever gathered so many general stars in one place. As Nikolai Deryabin, the club’s chief of staff, told MK, “this is a unique structure, the members of which are more than a thousand active, in reserve and retired military leaders of the highest operational-tactical level - from army commander and above.” Having united in 2005 on the initiative of Marshal Igor Sergeev and with the support of the country's president, Russia's military elite within the club continues to work in the interests of strengthening the defense capability of the state.
The MK journalist talked with the President of the Military Leaders Club, Army General Anatoly KULIKOV, about how this association can be useful to the leadership of law enforcement agencies today.
The main task, which was initially laid down by Marshal Sergeev and supported by everyone, is to make maximum use of the potential of people who have enormous experience in managing large army teams - armies, districts, ministries, regional structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB - in the interests of international security and national defense. This experience must not be wasted in the garden beds. It would be unwise to waste it just like that.
- Why did you unite all the security forces - the army, the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs - into one club?
Yes, because the threats have changed. The 21st century, the conflicts in which the country participated, showed that they can only be overcome through joint efforts. We must solve all these problems together.
- And how do you solve them?
We hold very important scientific-practical and military-historical conferences on the basis of the Academy of the General Staff and military universities. Based on their results, we develop recommendations and send them to the political leadership, the Presidential Administration, the administrative department of the government, as well as all law enforcement agencies, depending on the topic we are considering.
- I heard that you are planning to devote your next event to the problem of nationalism using the example of Ukraine?
Yes. We hold monthly round tables on such unexpected topics. And if necessary, we raise the level of research and then prepare conferences. Why? Yes, because literally for several years in a row we have been talking about radical Islam as a source of terrorism and extremism, and suddenly radical nationalism jumped out like a jack-in-the-box in the form of the Right Sector, banned in Russia, and Maidan supporters.
- I don’t agree. This devil did not jump out suddenly. It had been prepared for a long time, but we really didn’t notice it.
Yes. And they did not attach serious importance to this. This is what we are going to discuss at the round table: why did this happen? where are the origins?
- And where are they, in your opinion?
They are not so deeply disguised - they lie on the surface. For example, why do nationalists behave so defiantly in Estonia or Latvia? But the fact is that on the eve of the war there were less than a million Estonians in the country - about 900 thousand. Not all of them, but most of them served Hitler, and at least two-thirds collaborated and sympathized with the Nazis. Now imagine: after the fall of the USSR, new people came to power there. The descendants of these two-thirds, who collaborated with the fascists, came to power. And how should they behave?
Tell me, do the current generals listen to your advice? How, for example, did you work with former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and how do you work with Sergei Shoigu?
It was possible to work normally with people from the Ministry of Defense even under Serdyukov: with the main operational directorate, with the General Staff, and with personnel officers. But they couldn’t resolve any serious issues without the minister. But we didn’t have any contact with Serdyukov himself. We contacted him more than once with letters and proposals. But he never visited us and did not invite us to his place.
- Apparently, he knew everything well without you...
Sergei Shoigu is a completely different person. We see him often. Just last Friday I met with him. He invited me, listened to several of our initiatives, which the club council prepared for May 9. He supported the proposals and gave appropriate orders. In short, we have a fundamentally different interaction with Shoigu - working, respectful, businesslike. In general, we are very happy about his joining the army. Shoigu's strength is his managerial qualities. He is a very experienced manager. And even those issues that require a purely professional perception, he knows how to listen, correctly evaluate, and subsequently make the right decisions on them. This is very important for a military leader.