Russian militaries complain of non-payment of bonuses for participation in South-Ossetian warfare

To Russia Military Prosecutor's Office has received over a hundred complaints on violations of the rights of the recruits who took part in the August conflict in South Ossetia.

According to the complaints, Russian soldiers on mandatory service and officers, who were at war in South Ossetia, cannot receive their combat bonuses for participation in military actions and are rejected the status of war veterans.

Besides, it is still unclear, why regular soldiers were sent to the war. Initially, the army bosses had assured that "there were no regular servicemen in the grouping at all." Then, under the pressure of evidences presented by journalists, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted regular soldiers had been at war in Georgia, but only very few of them got into the warfare zone, as "Moskovskiy Komsomolets" writes.

Then, according to the newspaper, it became clear that there were much more regular soldiers in South Ossetia and Georgia, and not all of them had managed to cope with the 6 months of training, contrary to statements of army bosses. For example, servicemen from the city of Zlatoust were sent to the warfare zone after only three months in the army.

When regular soldiers returned to their barracks from the "hot point", they were surprised to learn that the MoD refused to pay out their due bonuses - 54 US dollars "for every day of service in the territory of a foreign state."

The Military Prosecutor's Office has established in the course of the check that only in the Ekaterinburg-based garrison 50 soldier received nothing for their warfare in Georgia. Thanks to military prosecutors, they have already adjudged almost one million roubles from the MoD.

"So far, we've summed up data for four regions: Moscow, Volgograd, Perm and Nizhni Novgorod," said Valentina Melnikova, Chair of the Union of Russian Soldier's Mothers Committees. "Here, we have 122 registered complaints from regular soldiers who were at war in South Ossetia."

According to Ms Melnikova, 23 soldiers complain that their command refused to legalize their service in South Ossetia. 24 others failed to get their combat bonuses. Three applicants assert that they were rejected certificates of warfare veterans. Three more soldiers, wounded at the war, cannot receive their veteran's status and receive money as ordinary invalids.

Besides, the All-Russian Trade Union of Militaries has reported that about fifty officers, who were at war in South Ossetia, had addressed the Union's regional branches with complaints on non-payment of their travel expenses.

Mikhail Yanenko, head of the press service of the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office, has confirmed to the "Gudok" newspaper that such complaints are arriving to the Office. "However, I wouldn't say that they have mass character," he has emphasized and added that each fact is duly checked.

In the opinion of Igor Kurochkin, deputy chair of the All-Russian Trade Union of Militaries, the imperfect legislation is to be blamed for violation of the rights of officers and soldiers.

"This operation is not on the list of the armed conflicts, the participation in which grants militaries the right to corresponding privileges. We have a vicious practice now in the army, when bosses refuse to obey even to direct action legislation, referring to absence of instructions from their commanders. Thus, militaries are pushed to go to court. Since justice is behind them in 99 percent of cases, decisions are passed in their favour. But it results in pretty plenty of red tape," Mr Kurochkin has noted.