Minister says military abuse rooted in society

Moscow: The abuse that haunts Russia's military is rooted in a society plagued by crime and declining moral values, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Wednesday.

Ivanov is seeking to shift blame from the armed forces following a horrific hazing incident that left an 18-year-old private crippled for life.

Ivanov was speaking in the lower parliament house, where he answered questions focused on military abuse, a persistent problem cast into the spotlight by the ordeal of Andrei Sychev.

The conscript had his legs and genitals amputated as a result of abuse at the hands of older soldiers at a tank academy in the Ural Mountains city of Chelyabinsk over New Year's.

"Yes, there was an outrageous occurrence that prompted the well-founded indignation of all clear-thinking people."

"Yes, unfortunately crimes and incidents occur in the military, and we are not evading responsibility," Ivanov said. "But it's impossible not to note that they occur at least in part because the armed forces are part of Russian society as a whole."

Using the common Russian term for abuse of soldiers by their elders, Ivanov said that "in our country 'dedovshchina' begins in kindergarten."

He said TV programmes and media had contributed to a "decline of traditional values" among Russians, and suggested that prosecutors should look into what he said were publications by some media outlets aimed at undermining the spring conscription campaign.

The abuse of Sychev has led to calls from government opponents for the ouster of Ivanov, who is also a vice-premier and is seen as a potential contender to succeed President Vladimir Putin in 2008. He was criticised for initial comments in which he appeared to play down the incident.

Ivanov sought on Wednesday to direct public anger over the Sychev incident away from top military brass.

"The Chelyabinsk case shouldn't be a reason for the groundless accusations against the entire army and against generals and admirals in particular. The concrete people involved must bear responsibility," he said.

Ivanov, who has played down the problem of military bullying in the past, said that abuse-related crimes in the forces decreased by 25 per cent in 2005.