1 A battalion commander who refused to send his young troops to Chechnya because he believed they were too inexperienced will be dismissed from the army, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Wednesday.
2 Capt. Vladimir Ustichenko had offered to go to Chechnya himself, even as an ordinary rifleman, but said the men under his command had not yet learned to fire or drive their decrepit armored vehicles.
3 The press service of Russia's Volga military district rejected Ustichenko's claims, accusing him of opposing the entire military operation.
4 He 'did it for political reasons,' said a statement carried by ITAR-Tass. 'He doubts the correctness of the decision . to use military force in the Chechen republic.'
5 The press service called Ustichenko's decision 'incompatible with the rank of a Russian officer.' It said he would be dismissed for 'an action which discredits the dignity of a serviceman.'
6 Ustichenko, an experienced Spetsnaz officer, said he had received the battalion on Dec. 31, the same day that Russian forces rolled into the Chechen capital, Grozny.
7 He described the unit's 15 armored vehicles as 'being fit only for scrap.' He said some had broken turrets which wouldn't turn; only three had working radios.
8 'Capt. Ustichenko misinformed the mass media about the state of combat readiness of his unit,' the press service statement said. 'Only 28 officers have served for nine months and less. One-hundred-and-two men are second-year recruits and yet another 120 are officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers with over a two-year service record.'
9 It also said seven of the battalion's 18 armored vehicles were new, while the others had been recently repaired.
10 Poor morale has plagued the Russian army since the beginning of the widely unpopular war.

The press service called Ustichenko ' s decision " incompatible with the rank of a Russian officer . " It said he would be dismissed for " an action which discredits the dignity of a serviceman . "
dismissed
dismissed by whom?