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Compared to Russian army, we look pretty good
Hazing Rarely Claims Lives in Russian Army_— Duma Official
MosNews
Non-combat losses in the Russian Armed Forces stands at 10,799 people over the past five years, a source in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, reported Thursday.
“At that, contrary to what is generally agreed, the death of personnel as a result of non-statutory relations [hazing] is least common among such deaths. Over the past fives years 85 servicemen fell victim to hazing,” the source in the State Duma told Interfax.
Most often soldiers suffer fatal injuries and die in road accidents, as a result of suicide attempts or negligence with weapons, the source said. “The number of victims of hazing drops year by year,” he emphasized. “By comparison, much more people_—- some 800 soldiers_—- were killed when working with technical equipment.”
However, human rights groups insist that official reports on hazing in the Russian army differ greatly from the true state of affairs.
So-called non-combat losses grew considerably in 2004. Conscripts often commit suicide, fall victim to criminals or die from stray bullets.
420 soldiers were killed “for nothing” in the first six months of 2004, the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office reported. The suicide rate grew by 38 per cent.
Often soldiers die as a result of criminal negligence on the part of commanders, or insanitary conditions. The military rarely agrees to announce the true causes of soldiers’ deaths.
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