Students currently studying in universities' military departments will have to serve in army units during their summer vacations. The idea is currently under discussion by university deans and the Defense Ministry, Vedomosti reported.
Currently, students enrolled at a select number of universities that retained their military departments are exempt from mandatory one-year service. But the new plans would see these students serve for three months each year during their summer breaks.
The service would be conducted close to home in specialized army units, meaning the students would serve in whatever branch is most relevant to their studies.
According to Vedomosti, the plans are still only tentative and require public discussion.
The head of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia believes that the idea is "feasible" but says that it is unclear how and in what army units the students would serve.
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