[CivilSoc] Russians Ask British Help with Military Suicides

[Center for Civil Society International]

This item from the August 5, 2001, Telegraph (London) can be found on
the Web site of the Post-Soviet Armies Newsletter (www.psan.org). It
discusses the problem of conscript suicides, estimated to top 1,000
annually, in the Russian military.
Macer Hall
Russians call in our Army over suicides
THE Army is sending a team of soldiers to Russia to advise officers
in the former Soviet armed forces how to combat the growing number of
suicides among military personnel.
Russian officers requested help from their British counterparts after
estimates that thousands of conscripts were taking their lives every
year because of low morale, poor conditions and brutality meted out
by superiors.
The move follows growing informal contacts between the two forces
since the collapse of the Soviet Union 10 years ago.
Major Philip Schofield, currently based at Upavon, Wilts, will lead a
small team on a visit to Russia later this year.
Major Schofield was unavailable for comment last week but in an
interview in this month's edition of Soldier, the Army's official
magazine, he said: "In the Soviet Union, military service was
considered a prestigious occupation. There was no problem filling the
ranks with conscripts."
Morale fell drastically after the collapse of communism, however,
with economic crises leading to cuts in the once proud defence
forces.
Russian authorities have been unwilling to acknowledge the extent of
the problem, although the Military Prosecutor's Office has admitted
dealing with 2,000 conscript deaths every year, the majority of which
are suicides. Unofficial estimates by human rights organisations have
put the annual toll at nearer 3,000.
The culture of dedovshchina, or bullying, has been blamed for the
high suicide rate, with cases of torture and rape frequently
reported.