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8 Military Officers Fired Over Hazing Complaints

Eight military officers have been dismissed from the armed forces after complaints about hazing, Interfax reported Thursday.

The rare firings, which included the commander of the 138th Infantry Brigade in the Leningrad region and his deputy, occurred after two soldiers complained to military investigators in October of mass hazings of servicemen by their superiors, a source in the Leningrad region military prosecutor’s office told Interfax.

The two soldiers fled the military base after they were beaten repeatedly by three sergeants, and they told investigators that about 15 other soldiers faced similar beatings, Interfax said.

The St. Petersburg branch of the Soldiers’ Mothers Committee confirmed the dismissals.

“This is a very strong political decision. The commanders always get off scot-free in such cases,” said the group’s head, Ella Polyakova, Interfax reported.

The Defense Ministry declined immediate comment Thursday.

The commander of the Leningrad military district, Lieutenant-General Nikolai Bogdanovsky, ordered a full-scale investigation into the Kamenevka military base, which houses the 138th Infantry Brigade, earlier this week.

Junior soldiers serving in the armed forces are frequently subjected to violence and extortion from their superiors, but such cases are rarely revealed or brought to justice because of the closed structure of military bases, rights groups say.

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