UNION OF SOLDIERS' MOTHERS SEES LITTLE PROGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 000173

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2018
TAGS: MCAP PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: UNION OF SOLDIERS' MOTHERS SEES LITTLE PROGRESS

REF: 07 MOSCOW 10

Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: The Executive Secretary of the Union of
Soldiers' Mothers Committee in Russia Valentina Melnikova
told us that, despite her organization's efforts, the lives
of soldiers in the Russian military has not changed very much
in the past year. What her organization has achieved, she
argued, is to bring greater media attention to soldiers'
issues such as hazing and the housing shortage. The Russian
military protects officers who abuse conscript soldiers, and
this inhibits accountability and reform. Melnikova argued
that moving to an all-volunteer army would greatly improve
the current situation, as contract soldiers would fight for
their rights more effectively than draftees. End Summary.

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Little Improvement Save the Openness
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2. (C) In a recent meeting, Melnikova credited her
organization's efforts to bring the plight of Russian
soldiers out into the open with forcing the MoD to take at
least some steps, such as the new law on military
conscription, to address problems such as hazing in the
military.


3. (C) According to Melnikova, conscripts suffer many of the
same forms of abuse as were reported in the press a year ago.
Conscripts serve as slave labor to build dachas for
high-ranking officers, are regularly beaten by other
conscripts, and sometimes are forced into prostitution.
Despite the increased media scrutiny, Melnikova lamented,
little progress has been made in eradicating these practices
from the Russian military.


4. (C) While accurate statistics are difficult to obtain,
Melnikova told us her organization received approximately
3,500 complaints of hazing in 2007. MoD reported that in
2007 22 military servicemen were killed in hazing incidents,
down from 33 deaths in 2006. Many observers, however,
including Melnikova, point to the high level of suicide among
conscripts - totaling 208 in 2007 - as another reflection of
the pervasion of hazing in the military.


5. (C) In addition to hazing, Russian soldiers face a
shortage of housing. According to Melnikova, even officers
have dormitory-like accommodations, with four or more
soldiers living in one apartment. Sometimes soldiers live in
libraries, warehouses, or any other available space. The MoD
has made little headway in addressing this issue, she said.


6. (C) Melnikova complained that one of the major barriers to
reform is that the military often protects officers who allow
hazing to happen in their ranks. Even officers who
personally beat conscripts are not disciplined, she said.
Soldiers who use conscript soldiers as slave labor draw even
fewer rebukes. The military will often excuse the behavior
by arguing the officer has a family and has served in the
military well.

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Role of Union of Soldiers' Mothers Limited
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7. (C) Aleksandr Belkin, Deputy Executive Director of the
Council On Foreign and Defense Policy, agreed that the Union
of Soldiers' Mothers has played an important role in the
recent military reforms. He added, however, that the MoD was
already aware of the problems facing the military and was
taking steps to address them. The Union of Soldiers' Mothers
drew public attention to these problems and did not allow the
MoD to ignore them as it had previously done. Belkin added
that the Kremlin has limited the effectiveness of the Union
of Soldiers' Mothers by inviting Melnikova to join the Public
Chamber of the MoD, thereby institutionalizing her opposition
(reftel).

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Are Contract Soldiers The Answer?
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8. (C) Melnikova argued the best way to solve the problems
facing the Russian military is to stop drafting young men to
join the army and move to an all-volunteer, "contract" army.
Conscript soldiers have no rights, she argued, and sometimes
cannot even call home, despite provisions in the law
providing for that. Contract soldiers, she argued, will not
volunteer to join an army that abuses them. They will
assertively push for their rights, she argued.


9. (C) Belkin agreed that hazing would decrease as Russia
moved to a professional army, but noted that the problem was
a societal, not a military one. Aleksandr Golts, Deputy
Editor-In-Chief of the Weekly Journal, however, contended
that hazing would continue since it was "a wild, but simple,
way to keep discipline," and since the MoD had no effective
professional NCO corps, it had no other way to keep the
troops in line.
BURNS