Army Corruption Creates "Soldier Slaves"
Soldiers' Mothers, a human rights group in Russia, is trying to draw attention to what, in any country, would be a scandal demanding highest level attention: the seizure of conscripts' passports, the misuse of those conscripts in war and their forced re-enlistments.
Somehow, this kind of human rights issue doesn't get much attention outside Russia, and, sadly, it doesn't appear to register in high level domestic discussion inside the country. At least it is being reported and a spotlight is being shone on the corruption behind it.
Has anyone in the Kremlin thought about the possibility of a volunteer military? How effectively can an army of coerced soldiers operate in the 21st Century, especially when some are bamboozled into service?
"Has anyone in the Kremlin thought about the possibility of a volunteer military?"
Doh!
Sometimes I think you are just a big troll Bruce Chapman.
Haven't you been reading ANYTHING about the Russian military recently.
The professionalisation of the Army (volunteer soldiers under contracts) is one of the major strands of the comprehensive and controversial reform program currently underway in Russia.
Google it or yandex it.
I have friends and family in Russia and I have herd the same stories from parents and victims. There has been talk of a voluntary service but up to this point that's all it is talk ! This in my opinion may be a national security risk for Russia if they continue to treat their young men this way.
Soldier's mothers, ah yes, an international theme dating back eons!
Now why is it that military establishments throughout history have preyed on young men (and in more barbaric places like Israel) also on young women, enticing them into servitude and self destruction. Al Qaeda has no monopoly here folks! Maybe its time to rethink what the term humanism means. (It used to be that in US universities there were "humanities" and the "sciences". Now the rubric of "technology" seems to have defaced them both.) In any event as the UN General assembly opens to the tune of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the trials in "democratiic kampuchea" and other demonocracies are held in public, now (forgiveness is the theme) while secret governments in other realms continue to conscript innocent young men for secret purposes. L'etre et le neant reverberates anew. (Perhaps Buddha sitting under the Banyan tree was the right way.) Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose, folks. (And that's the news.)
Lois White Buffalo
(citizen at large of no country)
"Has anyone in the Kremlin thought about the possibility of a volunteer military? How effectively can an army of coerced soldiers operate in the 21st Century, especially when some are bamboozled into service?"
Of course they have. Plans to move towards a more professional army have been publicly announced, with top government officials speaking of the necessary reforms on numerous occasions.
The plans are already underway. In 2008 they reduced the mandatory service time for conscripts from 18 to 12 months. Pay has been rising rapidly and will continue to rise, and the proportion of volunteer soldiers, at 30% in 2005, is planned to be at around 70% by 2010. I'm confused by this author's apparent unawareness. The overall forces are being drastically reformed, and this has been big news as of late. The information regarding these reforms is easily obtainable.
Unfortunately, such drastic reforms take time. It can't be done over night, and these problems won't disappear over night either, despite anyone's best efforts.