This documentary by Dmitriy Volgdina, a student at the Saint Petersburg State University of Film and Television, was filmed within the walls of the human rights organization “Soldiers’ Mothers of Saint Petersburg.” “Homesickness” is often the reason military psychiatrists give when young men desert their units; however, the real reason for the desertions is abuse in the barracks.

The main reasons for service-member appeals to the organization “Solders’ Mothers of Saint Petersburg” in December were poor health, abuse, and unlawful conscription.

Last December, 54 soldiers and members of their families appealed to the organization “Soldiers’ Mothers of Saint Petersburg.”

When service members and their families come to the organization, they fill out a questionnaire in which they explain in detail why they are appealing to the organization and the situation at hand. Afterward, copies of all documents relative to their case (medical records, manifests, letters of explanation, replies from officials, etc.) are then attached to the questionnaire. In this manner, a personnel file for the soldier is compiled; it is updated as new information and paperwork is received.

Soldiers appealed to the human rights advocates for the following reasons: need for legal counsel, poor health, failure to render medical attention, abuse, extortion, and unlawful conscription.

Specific examples:

D., A.V., born 1986, was drafted on 22 November 2010 by the Vasileostrovskij Regional Military Commissariat (RMC). He was serving in the town of Khvojnoe in the Gatchinskij District.

He appealed to the human rights advocates on 24 December 2010 on the grounds of poor health. Two and a half months after being drafted, he took ill, complained of stomach pain, and was sent to a military hospital where he was treated with pills and injections (they only provide temporary relief). The medical officer in charge claims that it requires three trips to the hospital before a medical board can be consulted.

Organizational experts provided legal council and assisted in drafting a petition to the Military Physician Board (MPB).

K., P.S., born 1988, was drafted on 30 November 2010 by the Krasnogvardejskij RMC. He was serving in the city of Orsk.

He appealed to the human rights advocates on 1 December 2010 on the grounds of unlawful conscription. On 30 November 2010, the young man, being a full-time student, went to the military enlistment office to get a military service record card. He was instead sent outside of the city where he was looked over by a medical commission and sent to a military unit against his will. The young conscripts were not fed for an entire day, while they were being transported.

At present, he is still at the unit.

Organizational experts provided legal council, assisted in drafting a warrant of attorney, and are preparing a lawsuit in connection with unlawful conscription.

Sh., A.V., born 1992, was drafted on 25 October 2010 in the city of Cherepovets in the Vologorskaq province.

He appealed to the human rights advocates on 9 December 2010 on the grounds of abuse. He left the unit without authorization because he could not deal with the harassment of senior soldiers: they woke him at night; they forced him to sing songs and find them tea and cigarettes; they demanded his cell phone’s memory card. In the event of noncompliance, all of the new recruits either were forced to sit in the drying room or were hit repeatedly in the chest.

At present, he is home.

Organizational experts provided legal council, as well as a psychological interview and assessment, and are preparing to work with the Military Investigative Department (MID) and MPB.

M., D. A., born 1992, was drafted on 30 November in the city of Tikhvin, in the Leningrad province.

He appealed for assistance on 17 December, 2010 on the grounds of abuse and unlawful conscription. At present, he is in a military hospital (MPB).

According to his mother, “My son was placed in a unit where, generally, everyone is from the Republic of Dagestan. Every day calls and cries, they demean him, bully him, and beat him up. He has been driven to despair and says that if I don’t help him he will hang himself. He tells me to ‘get him out of there.’”

Organizational experts provided legal council, as well as a psychological interview and assessment, and are preparing to work with the MPB.

Today in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, hazing in the form of slave labor is widespread. Young men, drafted into service and arriving to a unit, are encountering extremely abusive treatment on the part of higher-ranking soldiers, who are forcing them to perform labor, which is not connected with the direct execution of military service.

In the period from 1 April – 30 September, work was underway to accept citizen-service members (and their relatives), who have suffered from abuse of authority on the part of the officer corps of the units in which they served. Generally, they were people who were illegally used for manual labor for the benefit of the command. Additionally, they often suffered indignities, insults, and physical abuse from higher-ranking soldiers. Owing to the appearance of a threat to their lives and health, or simply due to unwillingness to become slaves, they either deserted their units or did not return from liberty. They all turned to the organization “Soldiers’ Mothers” for help, which they received immediately. They were provided with psychological and legal support. Members of the organization dealt with the cases of each service member, seeking either a medical discharge, or a discharge from service under other conditions (if the claimant themselves requested such). Professional psychiatrists and psychologists, working together with the organization, conducted thorough psychological testing, the result of which presented characteristics of physiological personality disorders among the service members. The organization’s coordinator of service member-related matters offered consultation on the process of receiving a medical or other type of discharge; the organization’s attorney advised citizens on legal questions, and explained legal aspects of their cases. The organization also assisted those service members who turned to them for help after being discharged to get through the period of psychological rehabilitation and return to a normal life. Moderate financial support was also provided to those citizens, residing in the outlaying regions of Russia but drafted to serve in Saint Petersburg, without a residence in the city and/or the financial ability to carry on long administrative and judicial disputes with army representatives. These citizens all received assistance from the organization.

Unfortunately, however, hard labor is far from the only violation of legal rights of members of the Russian Army happening today. An overwhelming number of young men are conscripted with an innumerable quantity of violations of the legally established process of categorizing eligibility. After becoming service members, these boys often do not receive any kind of suitable medical attention at all in their units. They are then often forced to desert them when their state of health becomes life threatening. During the reporting period, the organization received hundreds of appeals from those eligible for military service and their families concerning the unlawful drafting of physically unqualified persons. Moreover, these appeals came both directly from citizens as well as over the hotline, in emails to the organization, etc. Physical abuse of young conscripts by service members of previous drafts is not the only issue; there exists a wide range of varied human rights violations in the army. All soldiers who have suffered abusive treatment, in our opinion, are “unnecessary soldiers.” They are not needed by the Russian Army; they represent people whose abilities were not put to good use.

Following are the most glaring of the flagrant violations of the rights soldiers and draftees, who then became “unnecessary soldiers:”

Nefyodov, V.N., d.o.b.: 05/14/1990, was drafted on 14 May 2010 by the Tosneskij Military Commissariat in the Leningrad Region. V. served in military unit №17845 in the city of Arzamas and was then transferred to a unit near Nizhniy Novgorod. His aunt approached our organization, saying that V. had been drafted into service regardless of the fact that he had health restraints precluding him from military service. In September 2010, Nefyodov was sent to a military hospital in Nizhniy Novgorod with cardiovascular disease. After that, because of a review by Military Physician Board (MPB), he was determined to be of limited eligibility for service (category “B”). However, despite all this, according to the aunt, serviceman Nefyodov was not only not discharged, but also sent on to subsequent service in another military unit (№66813 in the village of Sertolovo-2). The coordinator of service member-related matters held a discussion concerning a medical board and discharge of the soldier who was unfit for health reasons. In connection with the given case, a letter was drafted on behalf of the organization to the Commander of Troops of the Western Command with the request to discharge Nefyodov from military service promptly. At present, V. is still with his unit.

Romanchuk, S.S. was drafted on 1 November 2009. S. served in military unit №02029 in the city of Lomonosov, Leningrad Region. His father appealed to our organization, informing us that S. regularly engaged in hard physical labor unloading curb slabs at the orders of the command. While working, he injured one of his fingers (a slab fell on it). Nevertheless, a medical examination was not conducted and the required aid was not given, principally because the major that S. reported the injury to disregarded the incident. Because of this, Romanchuk’s pain was greater the following day and he went to the medical unit. At the medical unit, he was told that that an x-ray would be necessary and, when he returned to his unit, it was suggested that he find money for one on his own. After S. got the money, a paid examination was given at the local clinic. An x-ray was taken and a diagnosis given: “fractured finger.” All of his documents had been transferred to the medical unit. One of the majors was familiar with them. Private Romanchuk’s injury was dressed, and he was put on light duty, however the commander did not consider the injury serious enough to exempt Romanchuk from the unloading duties and the private was sent back to work. At one point the medical unit commander noticed him working and released him from the task, however this only saved him for one day. Soon after at the medical unit they told S. that they would have to take another x-ray; however, it was not taken as Romanchuk was once again sent to find money for it. This time he could not come up with the money. Afterwards, because of the stress on the injured finger, complications arose in the form of tissue breakdown, which led to removal of the nail bed. According to his father, despite the fact that the injured finger is sensitive to cold and other stresses, Private Romanchuk is still being sent to work.

The coordinator of service member-related matters held a discussion concerning a medical board and discharge of the soldier who was unfit for health reasons. Additionally, a statement was drafted by the appealer to the supervising authority concerning the violation of the soldier’s right to medical attention.

Malashenko, I.I. was drafted on 3 December 2010. I. served in military unit №21992 in the city of Tambov. His mother appealed to our organization with the following information: After being drafted, I. became ill, was sent to the medical unit for a long time, and then his flu turned into angina. After this, they began to beat him up, demean him, and they squeezed him for money. After visiting him, his parents could personally assert that the living accommodations for the soldiers at the unit are inadequate: there is no hot water; hygienic procedures are not being followed; additionally all of I.’s toiletry items had been taken from him. His father requested that the command send his son to the military hospital, as his angina had worsened and he did not look very good. None of the promises made to the father were fulfilled: medical treatment for I. was discontinued, and he was discharged from the medical unit; all of his complaints were met with an inadequately ironic reaction by the people in charge. Soon afterward, unable to withstand the abuse and illness, the soldier ran away from the unit. After two days spent on the street, he was delivered back to the unit. Command representatives requested that his parents, who had come to the unit, not to file a petition with the prosecutor’s office and promised to transfer their son to a unit located closer to home. Malashenko’s parents learned from soldiers serving in the same unit that I. had been, in fact, beaten and abused, and that the command had been aware of it. According to the soldiers, misconduct regularly occurred in the unit, but nobody is willing to testify because they are all afraid. Malashenko was sent to the military hospital, after which, despite all that had taken place, he was sent back to the very same unit; he was not looked at by a medical board. Afraid for his life (he was threatened by the unit), I. ran away for a second time. Afterward, while their son was in a hospital in the city of Bryansk, the parents received threats from various command representatives of the unit, the essence of which boiled down to the following: either their son would be murdered and the murder would be made to look like a suicide, or he would be sent to a psychiatric hospital against his will. This went on for several days. Before this, the parents had received phone calls from the unit demanding money in return for a guarantee that nothing would happen to their son. Malashenko was soon locked up in a mental hospital, where he was given drugs that worsened his condition (he began to have issues with his memory). Appeals by the parents to the prosecutor’s office were derisively ignored. After all this, I.’s parents appealed to an NGO, which assisted in having him seen by a medical board. However, the paperwork connected with this ended up in the hands of the unit’s commanders. Having gotten in contact with Malashenko’s parents, command representatives began to threaten him with violence and demanded his immediate return to the unit. They refused to return the medical board paperwork to I.’s father (his attorney-in-fact), after which his mother came to our organization.

The coordinator of service member-related matters held an over-the-phone consultation with the father (the mother had appealed by letter). Two letters were drafted demanding that an inquiry be conducted on the basis of the soldier’s violated rights and that measures are taken concerning the conduct of the prosecutor’s office. Additionally, the organization’s press service wrote an article regarding I. Malashenko’s experience. All paperwork connected with the Malashenko’s medical board was returned and I. was medically discharged from military service.

Potapov, A.A., born 12/05/1991, was drafted on 1 June 2010 in the city of Saint Petersburg. A. served in military unit №97689 in the city of Kozelsk. His mother appealed to our organization, reporting that at the time of being drafted her son had numerous medical conditions, which were not taken into account by the draft board, although they were declared during the medical examination. All of the necessary medical documents confirming the existence of the young man’s conditions were as provided to members of the draft board for review. Several of them were disallowed based on the “results” of a cursory visual examination; others together with physical complaints were ignored completely. As a result, these diagnoses were not entered into record, and the medical classification determined for A. (class B) in no way represented his actual state of health. Apart from numerous confirmed orthopedic, neurological and other physiological contraindications, A. also had a hereditary condition, which was also not taken into account by the draft board, but may have become one of the reasons for subsequent events. Basic training, however, passed without incident; A. himself enjoyed serving, got along well with fellow service members and participated in the daily activities of the unit. However, in October Potapov was transferred to a different unit (№97689). He clearly felt uncomfortable in his new unit. When his mother asked him to send his new address so that she could send him packages, he answered “You don’t need to send anything here; it’s pointless. Nothing will make it to me here, anyway.” At one point, A. himself called his mother and told her that he was in the hospital because earlier he had jumped out of a second-story window. He said that a satiation arose in which he had no other choice. He also said that that the reason for such an action was due to harassment from senior soldiers. From his story, A.’s mother learned that on November 1 during physical training he was unable to complete on of the tasks, because of which the senior soldiers in charge of the training made him clean the bathrooms. When he refused, he was told that, in that case, all of the soldiers drafted with him from the city of Mirny would have to do it. Because of moral pressure put on him, both from the senior soldiers and the soldiers from Mirny, he had no choice but to clean the bathrooms. After he returned, the training continued. At the end of the training, he was unable to complete yet another set of exercises, as a result of which he was once again ordered to clean the bathrooms. Entering the shower room, being in a state of stress and despondency, not seeing a way out of the situation, understanding that the ridicule would continue and worse, he, being in a state of hopelessness, without any idea as to how he could go back to the training hall, crawled out the window and jumped from the second floor. Subsequently his mother was told that her son would be admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital for an evaluation by the Military Medical Board (MMB) and to determine his medical classification for further service. She was in complete agreement with this. However, some time later A. called her, said that he had been taken to the judge advocate’s office, and then handed the phone to somebody from office. He turned out to be the senior aide to the judge advocate. He told A.’s mother that he had looked over her son’s case, considered it to be hazing, and intended to punish those at fault. However, he recommended that the mother not send her son to the MMB, to which the mother refused. That same day, A. called her and said that they made him sign a paper stating that he is refusing to be sent to the MMB and requesting to be sent back to his unit. Later in the conversation, the aide tried to convince her that there was no point in involving the MMB, bringing up a number of various reasons, but she stood her ground. She appealed to our organization for assistance ensuring that her son is seen by the MMB.

The coordinator of service member-related matters held a discussion concerning a medical board and discharge of the soldier who was unfit for health reasons. Assistance was rendered drafting an appeal to the military reviewer. An appeal was also drafted on behalf of the organization. A. was medically discharged from military service.

Anonymous (by request), born 04/26/1991, was drafted on 26 October 2009 in the city of Saint Petersburg. He served in military unit №6821 in the Leningrad Region. His parents appealed to the organization, stating that the health of their son gradually worsened over the course of his military service. Despite the fact that he on repeated occasions went to his superior officer with complaints about his health, medical attention was not rendered in a timely manner, ultimately leading to a critical condition. At the time of appeal, the soldier was in a civilian hospital in a coma.

A petition was drafted and filed on behalf of the organization concerning a transfer of the soldier to the Military Medical Academy for treatment.

Summary

The military draft system in Russia is governed by the federal law “Concerning military duty and military service,” and by a set of regulatory legal acts. However, the military draft commission, other organizations and people active in the military structure all too often forget that a young man drafted into service is, above all, a citizen of his country and is afforded the full range of rights guaranteed him by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and the draft does not nullify these rights. Due to the arbitrary actions of the military, people who are unfit for service for health reasons nevertheless make it to the ranks of the Army. In military units, their condition worsens, sometimes to a critical stage. Commanders do not pay the necessary attention to this aspect of the soldiers’ condition, but often and intentionally turn a blind eye to violations that occur in the hospitals. The commanders themselves violate the law, using their status to issue orders for work, which is not meant to be carried out within the framework of military service, often reaping personal benefit from the slave labor of privates. Given the situation, it is necessary to acknowledge that a soldier often becomes “unnecessary” in the Russian Army, loses his human rights and becomes a free forced laborer. Amid the expansion of the draft plan, all of these problems become especially relevant. It is also important to note that the failure level in instituting criminal proceedings for human rights violations connected with unlawfully forced labor remains high.