Tweet
WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 19, 2015 Monday
The army is exposed to critique again
Society is unhappy with chic of generals and secrecy of statistical
data on deaths, accidents and crimes of servicemen
WPS observer
After the shock related to cruel murder of an Armenian family by a
Russian serviceman of the 102nd military base in Gyumri experts and
human rights activists try to analyze reasons of the tragedy.
Unfortunately, general systemic problems related to crime in the
troops are revealed at this point. Neither the Defense Ministry, nor
the Main Military Prosecutor's Office has provided precise statistical
data on this crime to the society in open access for a long time.
Along with this, judging by publications of mass media and information
of human rights activists, situation remains complicated, unauthorized
relations, beating, murders and suicides happen in the Armed forces
still and we almost do not see any work of commanders on prevention of
these accidents.
WPS turned to some members of the public council of the Defense
Ministry for comments on this. These are people who have access to
information about the situation in the Russian army. Their comments
turned out to be very critique-oriented but also very important. One
of the members of the public council of the Defense Ministry willing
to remain anonymous reported that "Tragedy in Gyumri happened because
top-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry reduced control over the
system of selection of personnel for Russian military bases stationed
abroad. Russia does not have very many such objects and it is quite
possible to select the best of the best for them." The expert pointed
out that in the past it was planned to start manning our military
bases abroad with contract servicemen alone but this did not happen
yet. It turns out that conscript soldiers who are sent there are not
of the highest quality. The expert said, "Brother of the soldier who
killed the Armenian family had a criminal conviction for murder. It
turned out that Permyakov had breaches of discipline. And such person
was put on sentinel duty to fulfill a combat task. This is an obvious
mistake of not only command of the base. At this point we see general
systemic mistakes related to general control over troops. Some
officials of the Defense Ministry should be taken to account for
this."
Valentina Melnikova, responsible secretary of the soldiers' mothers
committee and member of the public council of the Defense Ministry,
commented on the situation, "No matter what officials of the Defense
Ministry say about maintenance of proper order and military discipline
in the army, unfortunately, we in soldiers' mothers organizations
encounter growth of the quantity of complaints from parents of
conscript servicemen starting since 2013 about hooliganism in the
barracks, extortion on the part of commanders, breaches during the
draft etc. We have reported about these facts to top-ranking officials
of the Defense Ministry and to the Main Military Prosecutor's Office
frequently. However, we do not see proper reaction to these reports."
Melnikova was concerned about the fact that at its meetings the public
council of the Defense Ministry never discussed issues of order
enforcement and combating of hazing in the troops in detail. She
stated, "It turns out as if there are no such problems at all but this
is not so. Mothers of soldiers from whom commanders take money and
telephones and whom they beat phone me permanently. Such situation
prospers especially at our military bases abroad where conscript
servicemen receive increased salaries. Soldiers are robbed but it is
very difficult to somehow help them there and we sometimes encounter
cold indifference in the troops." According to Melnikova, there is no
efficient civil control over the army still.
Alexander Kanshin, chair of the council of the national association of
union of officers of the reserve of the Armed Forces (MEGAPIR) and
deputy chair of the public council of the Defense Ministry, has a
similar opinion. He says that the problem of civil control over
activity of the Defense Ministry "remains very important still."
However, he associates the problems that appear in this area with
activity or, to be more accurate, mistakes of the Main Military
Prosecutor's Office. In a recent interview to Interfax-AVN Kanshin
announced that "In the last few years, the Main Military Prosecutor's
Office started interacting with civil society, Public Chamber and
public council of the Defense Ministry weakly. We do not have the
contact now that we have had before. That is why we do not have
official information about deaths of people, about notorious hazing in
the troops, about outrageous actions of officers that are,
unfortunately, not rare yet." Along with this, we can say that Defense
Ministry could provide such information too.
Meanwhile, Kanshin is also worried by the fact that somehow the Main
Military Prosecutor's Office hushes down statistical data related to
theft of state money among generals now. Meanwhile, this is a
competence of military prosecutors for sure. He said, "I turned to the
Main Military Prosecutor's Office with a proposal to publish these
data but they answered: this cannot be done because this will hit
prestige of the army. I absolutely disagree with such formulation of
the matter. Absence of objective information about crimes including
non-combatant losses hits the prestige of the army more seriously. I
am convinced that secrecy and departure from publicity is the first
steps towards neglecting of these problems. Meanwhile, it is necessary
to reveal them on the contrary. It is necessary to respond about every
death and every loss."
Kanshin also characterized the current morale of generals,
"Unfortunately, the level of general culture in the troops decreased
enormously in the last few years. Even senior officers, generals and
commanders often speak harshly to the subordinates and humiliate
them." He points at such negative phenomenon as "commercialization of
military service and wish of some officers, including top-ranking
ones, "to profiteer" from sale of real estate and from notorious
"kickback." Kanshin points out, "I tell even commanders of high rank
at meetings: your service is according to another price list. Why do
you built mansions and palaces and buy yachts and jeeps, be more
modest if you have put shoulder straps on. You have a different system
of values. But not everyone understands this. you see a military
commander who builds a three-storied house on unknown revenues in one
place and you see a commander who buys something not in accordance
with his salary in another place and you see a commander who
celebrates his birthday so pompously that not very oligarch can afford
this somewhere else. Unfortunately, there is this infection among
officers."
Such frank opinions of military experts will hardly be liked by
top-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry and Main Military
Prosecutor's Office. It is also unknown which conclusions will be
drawn from this. In any case, one thing is already clear that along
with achievements in military development a certain rotting is also
inherent to our Armed Forces and generals and certain closeness of the
army from the society originates from this. But such closeness will
hardly save it from emergency situations and crime if no serious
measures are taken for solving of these problems.
On the eve of 2015, the Defense Ministry published a booklet entitled
"Army in figures." On more than 200 pages the ministry published
statistical data on activity, achievements of the army etc. It seems
to be impressive. However, only two phrases are dedicated to the
problems of crime in the Armed Forces there, "The Armed Forces have
been and remain one of the most law-abiding institutions of the state.
The level of crime in the troops is 54.55% lower than in the country
as a whole."
[Translated from Russian]
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 19, 2015 Monday
The army is exposed to critique again
Society is unhappy with chic of generals and secrecy of statistical
data on deaths, accidents and crimes of servicemen
WPS observer
After the shock related to cruel murder of an Armenian family by a
Russian serviceman of the 102nd military base in Gyumri experts and
human rights activists try to analyze reasons of the tragedy.
Unfortunately, general systemic problems related to crime in the
troops are revealed at this point. Neither the Defense Ministry, nor
the Main Military Prosecutor's Office has provided precise statistical
data on this crime to the society in open access for a long time.
Along with this, judging by publications of mass media and information
of human rights activists, situation remains complicated, unauthorized
relations, beating, murders and suicides happen in the Armed forces
still and we almost do not see any work of commanders on prevention of
these accidents.
WPS turned to some members of the public council of the Defense
Ministry for comments on this. These are people who have access to
information about the situation in the Russian army. Their comments
turned out to be very critique-oriented but also very important. One
of the members of the public council of the Defense Ministry willing
to remain anonymous reported that "Tragedy in Gyumri happened because
top-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry reduced control over the
system of selection of personnel for Russian military bases stationed
abroad. Russia does not have very many such objects and it is quite
possible to select the best of the best for them." The expert pointed
out that in the past it was planned to start manning our military
bases abroad with contract servicemen alone but this did not happen
yet. It turns out that conscript soldiers who are sent there are not
of the highest quality. The expert said, "Brother of the soldier who
killed the Armenian family had a criminal conviction for murder. It
turned out that Permyakov had breaches of discipline. And such person
was put on sentinel duty to fulfill a combat task. This is an obvious
mistake of not only command of the base. At this point we see general
systemic mistakes related to general control over troops. Some
officials of the Defense Ministry should be taken to account for
this."
Valentina Melnikova, responsible secretary of the soldiers' mothers
committee and member of the public council of the Defense Ministry,
commented on the situation, "No matter what officials of the Defense
Ministry say about maintenance of proper order and military discipline
in the army, unfortunately, we in soldiers' mothers organizations
encounter growth of the quantity of complaints from parents of
conscript servicemen starting since 2013 about hooliganism in the
barracks, extortion on the part of commanders, breaches during the
draft etc. We have reported about these facts to top-ranking officials
of the Defense Ministry and to the Main Military Prosecutor's Office
frequently. However, we do not see proper reaction to these reports."
Melnikova was concerned about the fact that at its meetings the public
council of the Defense Ministry never discussed issues of order
enforcement and combating of hazing in the troops in detail. She
stated, "It turns out as if there are no such problems at all but this
is not so. Mothers of soldiers from whom commanders take money and
telephones and whom they beat phone me permanently. Such situation
prospers especially at our military bases abroad where conscript
servicemen receive increased salaries. Soldiers are robbed but it is
very difficult to somehow help them there and we sometimes encounter
cold indifference in the troops." According to Melnikova, there is no
efficient civil control over the army still.
Alexander Kanshin, chair of the council of the national association of
union of officers of the reserve of the Armed Forces (MEGAPIR) and
deputy chair of the public council of the Defense Ministry, has a
similar opinion. He says that the problem of civil control over
activity of the Defense Ministry "remains very important still."
However, he associates the problems that appear in this area with
activity or, to be more accurate, mistakes of the Main Military
Prosecutor's Office. In a recent interview to Interfax-AVN Kanshin
announced that "In the last few years, the Main Military Prosecutor's
Office started interacting with civil society, Public Chamber and
public council of the Defense Ministry weakly. We do not have the
contact now that we have had before. That is why we do not have
official information about deaths of people, about notorious hazing in
the troops, about outrageous actions of officers that are,
unfortunately, not rare yet." Along with this, we can say that Defense
Ministry could provide such information too.
Meanwhile, Kanshin is also worried by the fact that somehow the Main
Military Prosecutor's Office hushes down statistical data related to
theft of state money among generals now. Meanwhile, this is a
competence of military prosecutors for sure. He said, "I turned to the
Main Military Prosecutor's Office with a proposal to publish these
data but they answered: this cannot be done because this will hit
prestige of the army. I absolutely disagree with such formulation of
the matter. Absence of objective information about crimes including
non-combatant losses hits the prestige of the army more seriously. I
am convinced that secrecy and departure from publicity is the first
steps towards neglecting of these problems. Meanwhile, it is necessary
to reveal them on the contrary. It is necessary to respond about every
death and every loss."
Kanshin also characterized the current morale of generals,
"Unfortunately, the level of general culture in the troops decreased
enormously in the last few years. Even senior officers, generals and
commanders often speak harshly to the subordinates and humiliate
them." He points at such negative phenomenon as "commercialization of
military service and wish of some officers, including top-ranking
ones, "to profiteer" from sale of real estate and from notorious
"kickback." Kanshin points out, "I tell even commanders of high rank
at meetings: your service is according to another price list. Why do
you built mansions and palaces and buy yachts and jeeps, be more
modest if you have put shoulder straps on. You have a different system
of values. But not everyone understands this. you see a military
commander who builds a three-storied house on unknown revenues in one
place and you see a commander who buys something not in accordance
with his salary in another place and you see a commander who
celebrates his birthday so pompously that not very oligarch can afford
this somewhere else. Unfortunately, there is this infection among
officers."
Such frank opinions of military experts will hardly be liked by
top-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry and Main Military
Prosecutor's Office. It is also unknown which conclusions will be
drawn from this. In any case, one thing is already clear that along
with achievements in military development a certain rotting is also
inherent to our Armed Forces and generals and certain closeness of the
army from the society originates from this. But such closeness will
hardly save it from emergency situations and crime if no serious
measures are taken for solving of these problems.
On the eve of 2015, the Defense Ministry published a booklet entitled
"Army in figures." On more than 200 pages the ministry published
statistical data on activity, achievements of the army etc. It seems
to be impressive. However, only two phrases are dedicated to the
problems of crime in the Armed Forces there, "The Armed Forces have
been and remain one of the most law-abiding institutions of the state.
The level of crime in the troops is 54.55% lower than in the country
as a whole."
[Translated from Russian]