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Russia bans gays, alcohol and drug users from army

MOSCOW, March 13 (AFP) - Russia has banned gays, alcoholics and drug users from the army, according to new medical guidelines published Thursday in the official Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. The new rules, which take effect on July 1, say that people "who have problems with their identity and sexual preferences" can only be drafted during times of war.

The rules also restrict the draft of regular drug and alcohol users to times of war, even if the prospective conscripts have developed no physical dependence or addiction to the substances.

"These new rules are a step forward, but their application will in the end depend on the decisions of the conscription commissions, where doctors find themselves under pressure from troops," said Lyudmila Vorobyeva, a member of the Mothers of Soldiers Committee, a group that fights for soldiers' rights.

The 1.1 million men in Russia's armed forces are mainly conscripts serving mandatory military service.

Members of the armed forces have been accused of carrying out brutal initiation procedures and systemically mistreating new recruits.

It is estimated that thousands of young Russians fake psychological and physical sickness to escape the draft.

Last year alone, some 1,200 soldiers were killed by colleagues settling scores, while some 6,000 deserted to escape bad treatment by their commanding officers, according to Mothers of Soldiers.

Russia has been attempting to end conscription, and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has proposed setting up a small but fully professional force as the backbone of the country's defenses by 2007 while leaving the highly unpopular conscription almost completely intact for the coming decade.

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