Russian Brass Who Opposed Cuts in Military Are Sacked

President Boris N. Yeltsin has fired six generals as part of efforts to cut the cash-strapped military and remove commanders who oppose reductions, officials said Friday.

Defense Minister Igor N. Rodionov was appointed in July with a mandate to drastically cut the military and modernize the force. According to Russian press reports, he is removing generals who oppose reductions.

The six dismissed generals opposed plans for drastic cuts in manpower, the Sevodnya newspaper reported Friday. The report said the head of the airborne and paratroop forces opposed plans to cut his forces from six divisions to one or two.

The country’s new defense council held its first meeting Friday to consider how to reform the military and restore combat effectiveness. The military has about 1.5 million personnel, and the government wants it cut to 300,000.

Yeltsin dismissed the head of airborne forces, Gen. Yevgeny Podkolzin, and the head of military space forces, Gen. Vladimir Ivanov, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Also removed were Gen. Vladimir Zhurbenko, first deputy chief of the general staff, and three Defense Ministry department heads.