Publicity of information about torture pits near Volgograd creates threat to military personnel

The military prosecutor’s office is to investigate the information about illegal punishments in torture pits at a training ground in Volgograd, but law enforcers are likely to direct more efforts to search for the informant who reported them, note military lawyers.

One of the volunteers who underwent training at a training ground in the Volgograd Region reported about torture pits used to punish violators of discipline. Satellite images confirmed his information.

Earlier, no facts of punishment by torture pits have been recorded in the modern Russian Army, lawyer Timofei Shirokov told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent. According to the lawyer, the use of torture pits is a crime.

Timofei Shirokov suggests that law enforcers are looking for an informant who has made public the existence of such torture pits. “The person who has made the information public may be brought to justice for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces,” believes Timofei Shirokov.

Military personnel bear disciplinary responsibility for misconduct and administrative violations, notes another military lawyer.

Any photographs of military facilities and military units are equated to state secrets, the disclosure of which is subject to criminal liability. “In some cases, the transfer of secret information may also be qualified as state treason. In particular, if such photographs have been transferred to a foreign state, international or foreign organization, or their representatives,” explained the lawyer.