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http://cbc.ca/stories/2002/06/23/deserters_020623 Last Updated Sun, 23 Jun 2002 23:47:59 Young soldiers desert Russian army in droves MOSCOW - Humiliated and brutalized by violent hazing and sexual abuse, young men conscripted into Russia's army are running away in record numbers. Last week, the military executed two more deserters who had fled their base in southern Russia. Authorities said the men went on a rampage and killed two police officers. According to Moscow, about 5,000 soldiers run away every year. But Soldiers' Mothers, an organization that defends the rights of military personnel, believes the figure is closer to 40,000. "Some of them, they are just ordinary young people who are leaving the army because they are afraid for their lives," says Ida Kuklina, who speaks for the group. Most of the deserters are young conscripts, many just 18, who can't stand the torture and sexual abuse that is rampant in the ranks, she says. Their stories are recounted in letters that are piled on her desk. Anna Fedeeva's son Alexei, for instance, ran away from his barracks and lived on the streets in Moscow because he couldn't stand it any longer. She eventually found him, sick and confused. He's now in a psychiatric hospital. "He left because he was beaten with metal objects," she says. "Now I don't know what's going to happen to him, but his life is broken." The abuse, combined with budget problems that leave soldiers poorly equipped and badly paid, has plunged morale in the military. "The conditions are appalling," says military analyst Pavel Fengelhauer. "The food is terrible. It's like a prison, but the inmates have guns." After turning 18, all men in Russia must serve two years in the military. To try to reduce desertions and violence, the country's parliament has approved a bill to give recruits the option of community service instead. ________________________________ Written by CBC News Online staff http://cbc.ca/ ===== Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. For directions & public transportation info go to http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP/where_when.htm Every Sunday at 3 P.M. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
