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LEVEL OF CRIME IN RUSSIAN ARMY GROWS

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - The level of crime and the death rate among servicemen grows in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Viktor Buslovsky, the first deputy chief of the Main Department for Educational Work of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, told reporters on Wednesday.

"The tendency towards an increase in the infringements of the law and crimes in the Army and Navy still remains this year, also because of the integration of the railway and special construction engineers troops into the Armed Forces," Mr. Buslovsky said.

According to him, the number of deaths of servicemen and suicides, including among officers and warrant officers, has not dropped either.

"Officers and warrant officers account for 15% - 20% of the total number of suicides in the Russian Armed Forces. The greater part of suicides among this category of servicemen take place on the ground of conditions of life, and every second suicide among soldiers - on the ground of unhappy love," the Lieutenant General noted.

Speaking about hazing in the Russian Armed Forces, the general said that infringements of the law of this type account for 20% - 30% of the general number of the crimes "This is connected with the low quality of the draftees. For example, only 4% - 6% of the draftees come from Moscow and Saint Petersburg," he said. Another cause is the shortage of skilled officers for educational work, General Buslovsky added.

He also spoke about the investigation of the criminal case concerning the material damage to the state in the amount of about 27 million rubles ($1 = 27.71 rubles) as a result of the violation of the financial and economic activity of the Main Military Medical Department. One of the defendants is the deputy chief of the Main Department who is charged with purchasing medicines in pharmaceutical firms at excessive prices.

In November 2004, the Russian Defense Minister spoke about the launching of this criminal case.