Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

The Defense Ministry has suspended the recruitment of conscripts because of the A(H1N1) flu epidemic that has swifly and suddenly swept across the country.

Ihor Khaliavinskyi, the head of the press service of the Defense Ministry, told this to Ukrainian News.

According to him, the autumn draft campaign, which started on October 1, would last until the end of November.

The Defense Ministry planned to recruit 26,000 conscripts to the Armed Forces and other militarized formations, including 19,500 conscripts to the Armed Forces.

To date, the Defense Ministry has recruited 45% of 19,500 conscripts to the Armed Forces, he said.

According to Petro Melnyk, the head of the chief military medical department and the chief of the medical service, the recruitment has been suspended for two or three weeks until the situation stabilizes.

In particular, the sending of conscripts from military registration and enlistment offices to military units has been suspended also.

The Defense Ministry has forbidden the command of military units from allowing leaves of troops outside the territory of military units during the period of the epidemics.

Also, the Defense Ministry ordered medical examination of troops returning to military units after vacation and trips to western regions.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Health Ministry on October 30 declared the A(H1N1) flu epidemic throughout Ukraine.

The Cabinet of Ministers has introduced quarantine in nine regions, banned organization of mass events, and closed educational institutions for three weeks because of the epidemic influenza.