In North Ossetia, Brigade Commander suspected of exploiting soldiers

Military inspectors suspect the commander of the brigade deployed in Vladikavkaz of using labour of ten soldiers at his private household.

Let us note here that Russia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is already investigating, together with law enforcers, the fact of employing six regular soldiers in hothouses of a resident of the capital of North Ossetia upon a permit of their commander.

General-Lieutenant of Justice Alexander Sorochkin, head of the Military Investigatory Department of the ICPO, has reported that during a year ten soldiers were growing agricultural crops in the orchard of their commander, escaping their direct service duties.

Mr Sorochkin has noted that a criminal case was initiated against the Brigade Commander, as the "Gazeta.Ru" reports.

Earlier, it was reported that in Vladikavkaz a local resident was detained, from whom arms were confiscated and who exploited for almost six months six regular soldiers, supposedly, upon permit of their commander.

In this context, the MoD has reminded about the Order of the Minister of Defence of 2005 "On Prohibition to Engage Servicemen in Works not Related to Military Service", and reported that should the facts prove to be true, the strictest measures will be taken, "up to dismissal from Armed Forces and attraction to criminal liability."

Valentina Melnikova, executive secretary of the Union of Committees of Soldier's Mothers of Russia, said, in her turn, that in the past numerous complaints were registered in the region on illegal use of soldiers' labour.

"Recently, especially after the MoD's order of 2005, the number of such cases as a whole across Russia went essentially down, if we judge from the number of complaints that we receive," said Ms Melnikova, having noted that soldier's mothers cannot trace all the cases.

Making comments on prospects of criminal prosecution of potential offenders, Valentina Melnikova has noted that there were not so many trials on such offences, mainly, under articles about excess of official powers, not under the article on illegal detention. According to her story, in some cases soldiers themselves are under threat of criminal punishment for voluntary escape from their military units.