Court obliges MoD to pay one million roubles to mother of soldier driven to suicide in South Ossetia

The Southern Military District is to pay one million roubles for moral harm to the mother of a conscript driven to suicide at the Russian military base in South Ossetia. The "Mother's Right" Foundation, which represents the interests of the victim, treats the amount as insufficient. On December 24, the verdict was challenged.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 31, 2013, a soldier, who was assigned a trial pseudonym of Leonid Leonidov, committed suicide. The Vladikavkaz Garrison Court has found out that the soldier had been subjected to bullying during several months and that he committed suicide after his commander had raped and beaten him.

According to the "Mother's Right" Foundation, in the period from December 2012 till November 2013, six other soldiers perished in a military unit No. 66431.

In her claim, Elena Leonidova, the mother of the conscript, has demanded from units of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to pay five million roubles for moral damage caused by her son's death.

On December 21, the court pronounced the decision to grant the claim, but reduced the compensation and obliged the MoD to pay one million roubles to the claimant.

The "Mother's Right" Foundation has challenged the court's decision. The activists insist on the payment of the compensation in the amount of 5 million roubles. According to Anna Kashirtseva, the press secretary of the "Mother's Right" Foundation, the amount of one million roubles is not sufficient for the medical treatment and rehabilitation of the mother of Leonid Leonidov, who lost her family, health, and job after the death of her son.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.