Why Many Russians Are Avoiding The Draft

With fall recruitment underway, in theory about 300,000 young Russian men should serve in the military. In practice, experts say half of the recruits will evade the draft. © RIA Novosti. Igor Zarembo

Dodging The Draft: A Battle For Russia’s Youth -- RIA Novosti

He ignored their letters, refused to answer their calls, and finally resorted to a medical report. The draft board was unconvinced, and eventually declared him fit to serve.

“I’d rather do time in jail, than in the army,” says Anton Trukhochov, 23, who spent four months in the Russian military before gathering enough paperwork to prove that he does not meet the minimal health requirements to serve.

“From the start, I had the paperwork with a stamp on it, confirming I had a heart condition,” claims Trukhochov. “They still made me join the army. Less than halfway through my time, I managed to get out.”

His battle to escape the draft is far from unique.

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My Comment: The sentence that caught my attention on how lousy it is to serve as a conscript in the Russian military is the following ....

The Russian Soldiers' Mothers Committee has estimated that around 1,000 soldiers die every year as a result of non-combat situations. A significant minority of these are murders and suicides.

1,000 soldiers .... a number that far exceeds U.S. combat deaths in Afghanistan.

In my case, I never had the chance to serve in the Russian Army. I grew up in Canada .... hence avoiding any service in the Russian military. Some of my cousins who could not get a deferment were not that fortunate. Their service was very difficult, and they were grateful to be out when their term ended.

Update: The BBC has a good news special on the Russian Military. That link is here.