We previously reported on cases of torture and violence, including sexual violence, in the Russian army — unfortunately, this is more the rule than the exception. But there are rare exceptions: sometimes criminal cases are still opened for such crimes.

The question remains: what becomes the trigger for these rare acts of “justice” against the backdrop of relentless violence and disregard for human rights? In our view, in this case attention was drawn by an unusual form of sexualized violence — the use of a dildo. As cynical as it may sound, this detail likely forced people to look at what was happening differently and made it harder to sweep the story under the rug. At least we can note that something, however small, compelled the Russian criminal justice system to react.

A criminal case has been opened over torture in a military unit in Ussuriysk. Servicemen and their relatives reported violence and extortion of payments in the 143rd Motor Rifle Regiment. According to them, soldiers who are unfit for service for health reasons are forcibly sent to the combat zone and kept locked up. Earlier, one serviceman from the unit said (https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/4777) that he was beaten and subjected to violence involving the use of a dildo for refusing to hand over payments to the command. After the beating, he said he lost an eye. The military investigative authorities of the Eastern Military District opened a criminal case under the article on abuse/hazing in military service (Part 1 of Article 335 of the Russian Criminal Code).

Source: the Telegram channel “Don’t Expect Good News” — https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/4879