Begin the army!
Name at least one Russian leader who served in the army.
Colonel Brezhnev, Colonel Nikolai Romanov and a member of the military councils Khrushchev are not counted. It is not trouble. It is needed for those who pulled the soldier's blade and smelled the powder.
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Suddenly: Brezhnev in 1935-1936 served in the army: a curator and political truck of the tank company in Zabajkalya (Peschanka village 15 km southeast of the city of Chita). He studied at the courses of motorization and mechanization of the Red Army, at the end of which he received his first officer's title - lieutenant.
Khrushchev fought in 1918-1919: first in the Donbass, against Kaledin, then on the Tsaritsynsk front.
We only know them already on more solid positions.

Nevertheless, I sincerely believe that military affairs in the 21st century are a job for professionals, and those who have chosen another job should undergo short courses (for example, a couple of months after 10th grade and repeat another 2-3 times with an interval of 3-4 years) to know how, in case of urgent mobilization, to burn out uniforms, load weapons and proceed to the place of collection. Two-year (now, thank you, one-year) living in a barracks, mocking the barracks and other army fun is a banal budget settlement and waste of time.