MOSCOW, November 9 - Russia has seen 857 of its military servicemen killed in accidents or crimes since January 2005, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a meeting of top military commanders Wednesday.

"Thanks to the concerted efforts of military command and control agencies, the prosecutor`s office, counterintelligence services, and non-governmental organizations, the number of deaths among servicemen due to crimes and accidents has fallen 5% this year to 857, a figure which is nevertheless sad to pronounce," the minister said.

He cited road, traffic and other accidents among the main causes, accounting for one-half of all non-combat deaths.
sections: Society, Accidents, Region News
areas: Central region