Officers in Astrakhan region suspected of beating up a soldier

Two officers of contract service in Astrakhan region are suspected of beating up an ordinary soldier as a result of which the young man got a cerebral injury.

The incident took place yet in August.

According to representatives of the "Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg", the nineteen-year-old soldier of statutory service was beaten up in Ashuluk firing range where shells were utilized.

According to the "Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg", at 22:00, August, 23, drunken officers came into the soldiers' tent, formed everybody up and ordered the soldiers to press up. One of them refused explaining that he had a sore throat. The medic declared that the serviceman had no problems with his throat. Then the officers called the soldier a malingerer, took him to their tent and severely beat him up.

According to the soldier, they were beating him with their hands and legs, used current, undressed him completely, took photos, offended him and threatened with rape, Fontanka.ru reports.

The investigators established another picture of the event. According to their data, senior lieutenant Andrey Sychev, commander of anti-aircraft missile firing battery No 1, and captain Alexey Chernikov, commander of anti-aircraft missile firing battery No 2, both contract officers of military unit No 19612, beat up the solder for the reason that he disobeyed the command "retreat" and for some time past also committed insignificant infringements of service regulations. Sychev was beating the soldier up with laundry soap wrapped up in a towel.

The medics diagnosed a closed craniocerebral injury and multiple scratches on the soldier's face and body.

A criminal case was initiated against the suspects according to clause "abuse of authority with the use of violence", Chief military investigative department of Committee of Inquiry of the Russian Federation reported.

The officers may be sentenced to up to ten years of custody, RIA "Novosti" reports.