RUSSIA : Military Housing Now Hot Property

The Spartan apartments of the Mamulino military housing complex hardly qualify as luxurious even in destitute Russia, but they have become hot properties in a country with an army of homeless soldiers.

And despite the best intentions of the German government that bankrolled the project, distribution of the coveted homes has fallen victim to the same labyrinthine network of favor-trading, influence-peddling, connections and caprice that dictates the sharing of wealth throughout Russia.

Mamulino’s 2,003 apartments are among almost 50,000 built with money provided by Bonn as part of a deal to hasten the withdrawal of Russian troops from East Germany after it reunited with West Germany in 1990.

With half a million soldiers forced back to Russia from Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics, Moscow insisted on foreign help in housing the onslaught. Fearing a straight cash infusion would go astray, the German government retained contracting power in projects such as Mamulino and secured a few distinguishing touches such as playgrounds and open spaces.

But the foreign influence ended with this autumn’s transfer of the apartments to the Russian Defense Ministry, which declines to discuss its methods of allocation.

“Social benefits in the military are distributed the same as any other commodity--to those who are obedient, silent and loyal,” contends Stanislav N. Terekhov, president of the Union of Officers political action group.

If the German money had been spent properly, enough housing could have been built to accommodate all 200,000 troops withdrawn from Eastern Europe, Terekhov says.

But the $5.9 billion provided by Bonn and spent by Russia produced fewer than 50,000 apartments, or more than $118,000 for each modest three-room unit.

“This money was allocated for housing, but our government and top military brass have obviously found ways to get it into their pockets,” Terekhov asserts.

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Nadezhda A. Nesterova, a Tver city government official, contends that the housing recipients are mostly senior officers who plan to sell their units.

Anatoly N. Gerasimov, the Union of Officers representative in Tver, insists: “There are at least five generals from Moscow who have been given apartments at Mamulino.”

Alexander A. Piskunov, an official of the parliamentary Defense Committee in Moscow, acknowledges that the Kremlin brass are in position to decide who gets the housing. But he doubts that big shots are settling for bare-bones Mamulino dwellings. He notes that a U.S. government-aided defense-conversion project is building $20 million worth of kottedzhi-- sprawling brick country homes--for retired officers.

“It will be more interesting to see the list of who gets these prestige homes,” Piskunov said.

At least 83 officers whose families have settled in Mamulino got their housing as a pay-back for “volunteering” for front-line duty in Chechnya, one housing official disclosed. Longer-standing debtors have also come calling, such as those who fought in Russia’s 10-year invasion of Afghanistan and senior officers pulled from Central Asian and Baltic republics.

But for legions of officers with no political chits to cash, even austere Mamulino remains an unattainable wonder.

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“It is completely unrealistic for someone like me to get on the list,” says Capt. Yuri V. Lukinikh, who shares a single dormitory room with his wife, mother-in-law, two children and the family cat.

“Unless you’ve got connections, you can’t expect housing from the Defense Ministry in less than 20 to 25 years--just before it’s time to retire.”