#12 - RW 10-29-04 - RW Home
RIA Novosti
October 28, 2004
Human Rights Watch Diagnoses Russian Army; Treatment Debated
RIA Novosti military analyst Viktor Litovkin.

Human Rights Watch has published a report titled "The Wrongs of Passage: Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of New Recruits in the Russian Armed Forces."

The report is based on three years of research of the hazing system in seven regions of Russia, including Moscow, St.Petersburg, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk and Volgograd and interviews with more than one hundred conscripts, their parents, government officials, lawyers, experts from nongovernmental organizations, and former military servicemen. The conscripts served at more than 50 bases in more than 25 of Russia's 89 provinces. HRW experts also used publications in the Russian mass media.

The main conclusion is as follows: "In the Russian army, older conscripts force new recruits to live in a year-long state of pointless servitude, punish them violently for any infractions of official or informal rules, and abuse them gratuitously." "Such practices," HRW experts maintain, "clearly violate Russia's military code of conduct," yet "the officers' corps and the Russian government have failed to take effective steps to stop these abuses."

Human Rights Watch proposes setting up an inter-departmental task force headed by an independent person with a relevant experience and authority in the military circles to design and implement a comprehensive strategy for combating hazing abuses. Also, it proposes appointing a special ombudsman for military servicemen under the Russian human rights commissioner. The organization recommends five elements to be included in the fight: public commitment to combating such abuses, prevention, accountability, independent monitoring and structural reform.

You cannot say that Russia is not doing anything of the kind. It does not have an ombudsman for military servicemen, but it has the human rights commissioner, who knows very well all problems with vicious hazing in the army and the navy. Vladimir Lukin has repeatedly talked about them. His predecessor, Oleg Mironov, has even published a book, where he thoroughly analyzes the reasons for vicious treatment of young conscripts and, it should be underlined, officers in the Russian army.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Chief Military Prosecutor Colonel General Alexander Savenkov and other top officials have frequently announced measures to stop bullying in the army. Preventive moves are also taken. For example, the number of draft deferments for medical and legal reasons (conviction, drug abuse, toxicomania, record of police detentions for hooliganism) has been increased drastically. The Defense Ministry even has a department for educational work and has introduced the post of a deputy commander for educational work in military units.

Independent monitoring is being carried out by the Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers, which actively cooperates with Human Rights Watch. However, achievements are very modest compared to the problems revealed.

There is little hope for structural reforms, even moving to a professional army, which has been increasingly discussed recently. Most of highly qualified specialists, including young officers, do not want to do the military service, as they cannot hope for a decent salary there. About half of graduates for military universities retire from the army during the first years of service because of miserable money allowance (a lieutenant receives about 5,000 roubles or $150 a month) and no prospects to receive housing (one third of Russia's 165,000 officers do not have apartments). It is very difficult to demand that these people should be totally committed to their service, take care of the personnel and reinforce discipline in the army. It is almost impossible to recruit highly qualified people.

The situation with rights of the military, including young conscripts, can be changed only when everyone, from privates to generals, starts treasuring service in the army. Without it there is no army.