Russian Army Training

[Gadger 0]

Here is some poor translation of story describing the methods of training and imposing decipline among troops in exSoviet republic.

Quote[/b] ]““I have joined Guard Infantry Regiment of one of ex-Soviet republic army in 1997. In order to give you an impression what is military service in Soviet army and what is the basic of soviet shock training is, I will tell you about the first day of my military service. I think it’s didn’t change much since Soviet and even before soviet time.

       

I have come to military base at 12 o’clock of 22 may 1997, I was accepted by junior sergeant that commanded platoon were I was going to serve. In first day I wasn’t able to eat the full ration that we was provided during “food consuming time†(this way it’s called in Russian army), I was wondering how do the rest of the soldiers eat as much as they it, there were three dishes with food and they were quite big, and a lot of bread. Soldiers were that hungry that they have even eaten ration that I had left. At night of the same day I was given my uniform and registered in the list of military personnel. There was 15 day of junior soldier training that I should get before I can swear to the flag, and officially become junior soldier. Junior soldiers are normal soldiers but since their lack of experience they normally are not accepted to take part in any operations and relived from many duties that require experience.

         

My first day being soldier has started from very loud scream “Rota podiem!†(Company wake up!), I was impressed with the speed of how soldiers got dressed (Russian soldier required to get dressed and ready to whatever in 45 seconds), actually shock was even bigger because from my civilian live I couldn’t switch so fast to military live, I was waking up slowly. I was waked up by very loud scream and sound of hundreds of boots shaking the floor. In next few seconds I was in formation because I was drugged by my comrades that were telling me that if we late to be in formation then our butts will be really kicked by “grandfathers†(title of experienced old soldiers). Following commands of our senior sergeant we have been formatted in 3 column wide formation on the ‘plats’ (place for training) and then started our morning cross running. I had no idea what is real morning exercise. First kilometer I was happy, second I had start getting tired, especially because we was constantly counting 1-2-3 1-1-1-2-3, when 1 was always the moment we stepped on the ground by left leg (as I have found later). On third kilometer I had become quite tired, actually I have decided to stop, I was in head of formation, but once I had reached it’s tail I had understood why everybody were telling me not to stop, Grandfathers was running from behind and giving punches with metal part of their belts to every body refusing running. Once I have heard screams of those being punched I decide that its better to run, but few minutes after I gave up and decide to damage my leg so I can’t run any more because it was very difficult already, I thought that I can’t run any more. So I had twisted my leg in hope that since I could not run they will let me fall and take a rest. That didn’t helped, grandfather was hitting me by their belts until I had stood up and continue running with twisted leg. This was painful, I had understood how stupid I was when thinking that they will let my have a rest. On forth kilometer there was command to stop; I hoped that that’s the end of training… I was silly. Following command was to sit down, I though we going to take a break. Following command was to perform ‘duck steps’, meaning walking while sitting , I think you understand what is that, we all do such exercise in school, but we have been walking for 500 meters while asses of those how go last being kicked until they are not lust anymore. Then we stand up again oohhh, that was miracle or paradise that would be really happy end, but no, again “Begom marsh!†(Run) command was declared, and we were running again. Last kilometer was very difficult because I couldn’t feel my legs, and was semi falling. Quite soon we have reached the place in front of barracks. I thought that we had finished our training now. But we were asked to do Jumbo-Jumbo exercise, “the most popular exercise of US marines†as our sergeant had told us. I will not explain what is jumbo-jumbo, I will just tell that it required a lot of jumping upstairs, I wasn’t able to do so, so I was gently asked by sergeant “On your feet soldier†I was sitting and not able to stand up, well I was kicked couple of times, when sergeant had understood that I can’t stand up he had left me alone so I had avoided performing another 100 push up that the rest of the soldiers did. They not just did it, they did it under count, one bodies down two bodies up, and 1.5 bodies in the middle as long as sergeant wishes. Those that could keep their body in 1.5 were stepped by boot on their fingers until they take required position.

   

I was just laying on the ground, it was useless to step my fingers I didn’t felt anything anyway. Then training got finished and we had our breakfast and then we had another training and then another one and then we was kicked in hand to hand combat training and then night came up, but we weren’t sleeping because we was doing 150 pushups first and then another set of exercise then we was going to bed but officer didn’t like the speed of undressing and he had started training of dressing and undressing. Finally at 2 AM we go to sleep, but at the 3 I was waken up by somebody because I was sleeping on someone’s from night sentry bed, not mine bed(I don’t know how this has happened), so I was punched and kicked off the bed, and half in condition, like drunk was looking for my bed, and was pointed to my bed by one of the comrades from older soldiers who was from my town and had sympathized my. Next day thinks was the same as in first and that was always this way until I got use to service, soon I could easily run required distance and do all exercise. I had also learned how to take “death line†special fortification line that we should take running through it, that included various borders and other things were you can break you arms and legs easily but fortunately only one of us did. In first month my legs was constantly bleeding due to deep wounds from my boots but I didn’t tell anybody because those who was complaining about pain was treated like cowards, not men at all, they was appointed for cleaning everything including toilets while those who didn’t refuse training was just training. It was like if you are men you don’t do women job if you complain you do women job, I had hesitated to go to hospital although every time after running my boots was full of blood, and my socks could not be used anymore, wounds was getting deeper every time, soon finally I got to the hospital but so that nobody knew about it. And then I was going there everyday during short period of free time I had, they had fixed my feet finally. Some soldiers had even worse situation but nobody was complaining." ( As they said in NTW description of Russian infantry “They not even allowed showing their pain", all coments in this text are of my my own, not from the source) " In our room it was smelling rotting meat for very long time, finally we started investigating where do this smell goes from, and found out that one of us wasn’t able to take off his boots for few weeks, he didn’t fell anybodyAfter his boots were cut off, we had found that it’s his foots that was rotting. He was hospitalized and had returned to duty in two weeks.

Every single nigh were rised and being checked for stamina, by different ways, putting us in 1.5 push up position and kicking out belly or by doing chest test – hit but the fist or butt of the rifle to the chest, first we was falling down after each hit but later I was able to stand when being kicked from on run buy both legs in my chest. They could recharge assault rifle by hitting our chest by the butt. In 4 month I was afraid of nothing because I was completely indifferent to any hardship, and I could do things that I could never imagine human can do…

When I came back home my friends found me too cruel. I was bit mad, but my girlfriend find me 'big'  I don't know what did she meaned ). I following months training had become softer and as closer to the end of service as easier things were going.“

What do you think about that ?

[Pathy 0]

Reminds me of Michael Ashers description of Parachute Regiment training during the 70's. (and i dont expect its changed much)

[bn880 5]

Does not sound like much fun does it... not that it is much of a surprize. And the thing about not showing pain, it's absolutely true about the Russians, even in WW2 they would not show pain very often.

[Ironsight 1]

Does not sound like much fun does it...

But will save lives in battlefields

[AKM 0]

In WW2, they were nicknamed "Crazy Ivans" for a reason. This is some fairly hardcore training - for example, this doesn't happen in Western militaries for infantry and mechanized infantry units.

This should be applied to cadets. That'd knock the idiocy out of them.

Quote[/b] ]I have joined Guard Infantry Regiment of one of ex-Soviet republic army in 1997. In order to give you an impression what is military service in Soviet army and what is the basic of soviet shock training is,

We're talking about a Guards (Elite) Infantry Regiment, and I assume "Shock Training" is sorta like Basic? There's very little mention of weapons or fieldcraft training.

A while back, I had seen a special on a similar unit (Guards Infantry Regiment type unit) and the "Dodushka" were rather brutal. Kinda pissed me off, but that's what you get when you run a conscription system as is done in Russia. Those with the shortest amount of time left tend to actually have command, unlike NCOs (Which are for-shit in Russia) and Officers (Junior officers actually perform Sergeant's duties, for example.)

[InqWiper 0]

I think that this training results in better soldiers, maybe not better people.

I dont know if its right or wrong. They are pushing the guys really hard but once in combat it will probably have been worth it. I think soldiers that are trained like this have much better discipline in combat than other soldiers do. I also think they are less likely to kill someone they are not supposed to kill than soldiers who are put in formation and scream that they want to kill someone like they do in the US.

[Pathy 0]

Read "Shoot To Kill" by Michael Asher for comparison with British Paratrooper training (in the 70's anyway). They sound just about as harsh as each other TBH

[AKM 0]

InqWiper has a great point. "On Killing" by Colonel Grossman is a great book to read about that.

Instilling a sense of Martial Spirit does not require standing there in formation screaming in tandem:

"Who do you want to kill?"

"The enemy!"

So forth. Come battle, intensive training like this really pays off, but readjusting to civilian life would be very difficult after training like this, much less battle.

[Ironsight 1]

There was just a report about the Russian army on the news just some facts:

- there were 109 recruits who commited suicide last half year

- when Chechen rebels looted a Russian army depot, the soldiers just watched it from a save distance.

- there were also video's of soldiers who got "initiated" = punched in the face, kick in the stomach, kicked against the wall (even the paintings fell of the wall) etc.

The moral in the Russian army must be very high

[Foxtrot87 0]

Quote[/b] ]there were 109 recruits who commited suicide last half year

I've heard that too and that's awfull  

Quote[/b] ]when Chechen rebels looted a Russian army depot, the soldiers just watched it from a save distance

Can't believe it    Do you have a reliable source of information? Actually this is a widespread tendency in the massmedia. They usually tell you bad things about politics, economy, other spheres of foreign life. I guess no one heard of Russian soldiers who saved lives of their comrades from other groups by calling in the artillery strike on the position of their own group when they were surrounded. Thus they killed terrorists and other soldiers were saved.

Quote[/b] ]there were also video's of soldiers who got "initiated" = punched in the face, kick in the stomach, kicked against the wall (even the paintings fell of the wall) etc.

Another awfull thing. That's why many people try to somehow avoid serving in our military.

[somebloke 0]

Yeah, very tough, but the gurkhas could wipe their arses.

[bucket man 2]

Does anybody remember the incident maybe 6 years ago when got out that US marines had nice initiaton ceremony. New recruits were put against the wall and older soldiers would stab somekinda pin to their chest.

I believe it was somekinda marine chest pin or something.

Its true, Im sure of it because they showed a video that the marines had filmed in the news. Someone ran with the pin in his hands and striked the pin into the guys chest that was against the wall. That guy fell to the ground and stayed there.

[Heatseeker 0]

Another awfull thing. That's why many people try to somehow avoid serving in our military.

And thats what everyone should do, there is nothing good about being in the army, unless you like to be treated like a dog and follow stupid orders, let the polititians solve their shit playing cards or something, i didnt see their sons and daughters when i was there .

[Foxtrot87 0]

Hey that's an idea! Let only the children of politicians serve in the army and we'll see how many wars we're going to have I haven't served in the army yet but i'll try to pass special courses so i would get an officers rank (don't know how it's called in English). In case they take me to the army i won't be treated like privates are.

[Ironsight 1]

Quote[/b] ]when Chechen rebels looted a Russian army depot, the soldiers just watched it from a save distance

Can't believe it    Do you have a reliable source of information?

I saw a video made by the rebels where you saw 'em looting the depot in the night. And at the end of the street (it was a town) you saw soldiers sitting behind cement blocks. After that the rebels announced how much they looted can't remember the exact numbers but it was a lot.

Reliable enough?

[Ironsight 1]

Does anybody remember the incident maybe 6 years ago when got out that US marines had nice initiaton ceremony. New recruits were put against the wall and older soldiers would stab somekinda pin to their chest.

I believe it was somekinda marine chest pin or something.

I saw that too, I tought that were medals that they pinned in the chest, but I can't remember it exactly. I do remembered the marines screamed very loud. It was horrible

[Foxtrot87 0]

Quote[/b] ]Reliable enough?

Yes That's why we need a contract army, an army of well-trained professionals.

[kerosene 0]

That warehouse story is totally belivable, does anyone remember those russian soldiers that got court martialed for trading their apc to Chechens for booze and some other stuff. Also i think i read the number of russian recruits that die in training - not suicides, is very high - relative to western armys anyway.

[Foxtrot87 0]

Another story i don't believe in

[kerosene 0]

"There are reports of looting, with the connivance or sometimes under the orders of officers. It was even reported that an army unit and an internal troops unit fought for the right to "pacify" a village that was said to contain a cognac distillery.

Once again there are reports of Russian soldiers selling their equipment. The deployment of a tank battalion of the same 138th MR Brigade was apparently halted when it was discovered that soldiers had been selling the explosive from their tanks' reactive armour."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/militar....ces.htm

[Ironsight 1]

Just reminded, that about a half year back Russian soldiers traded a tank with Chechens for drugs

[MontyVCB 0]

There was just a report about the Russian army on the news just some facts:

- there were 109 recruits who commited suicide last half year

- when Chechen rebels looted a Russian army depot, the soldiers just watched it from a save distance.

- there were also video's of soldiers who got "initiated" = punched in the face, kick in the stomach, kicked against the wall (even the paintings fell of the wall) etc.

The moral in the Russian army must be very high  

ya, im suprised the soldiers don't turn agianst their NCO's and officers, their wesertn counter-parts would go to jail for that kind of behavoir.