 Russia is building a huge army of hundreds of thousands of mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. The deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has noted high rates of enrolment for contract service in the Russian army in Sevastopol, Moscow and Chechnya. I should note the systematic approach of the authorities in a number of territories of Russia, in particular Moscow, Sevastopol and the Chechen Republic, to manning the combined group of troops by contract personnel. Medvedev said in his opening remarks at a meeting during his working trip to the Siberian Federal District. He cited Defense Ministry statistics indicating that from January 1 to December 1, more than 452,000 contract soldiers were enlisted across the nation in the combined group of forces. Medvedev noted that Moscow had promptly launched many useful services that soon began to be used as examples for other territories to follow. Clearly, Moscow has its own opportunities and its own rules, but nevertheless, the work is well established, which we repeatedly mentioned at a similar meeting in the Central Federal District. He noted, while speaking about Sevastopol, Medvedev stressed that in fact it was a frontline city. The work is proceeding there well despite extremely adverse conditions. Many servicemen have signed contracts there, being well aware in general what such service is like. They have firsthand knowledge of what is happening and how. He said, as for Chechnya, Medvedev said that thanks to efforts by its leadership, more than 30,000 men were sent to the frontline. A vast campaign is afoot in Chechnya to train personnel for combat missions. Over 15,000 volunteers have undergone instruction at Russia's Special Forces University. In Gudermes, he said, the new contract soldiers are expected to be used in the Ukrainian war.