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Army service may soon become an obligatory line on CVs for anyone who wants to work for Russia’s government.
The idea goes against the direction taken by Russian authorities in recent years. It was widely popularized that the country should develop professional military forces instead of opting for further obligatory conscriptions.
It is no secret that most of Russian high-ranking officials, including Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov, never served in the army. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as a former intelligence agent, served in Germany; President Dmitry Medvedev did only 1.5 months – as a university student; Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who studied at the Diplomatic School, did not have to serve.
Abroad, the situation is almost the same. US President Barack Obama, a lawyer by profession, never did military service. Neither did the majority of the members of the new UK cabinet, including Prime Minister David Cameron.