Russia: Soldier posted to Siberia for online whinge

If Russian soldiers have anything to sing about they usually do so in foot-stomping Cossack choirs, belting out the words to "Kalinka".

Lieutenant Vitaly Efremov, however, decided to take a more modern approach: he made a rap video, released onto the internet, complaining about the rotten state of his barracks.

The clip has hit a nerve with the top brass who have now decided to post him to Siberia where he can exercise his musical talents in the windswept tundra. He can probably consider himself lucky that he is not singing Elvis Presley's Jail House Rock or The Pretenders' Back on the Chain Gang.

The lieutenant modelled his video on "Stan" by Eminem in which the rapper sends a letter to a frustrated fan. The Russian letter is to the Minister of Defence, Anatoly Serdyakov, and is set against a backdrop of military decay: a crowded barrack room with peeling wall paper, a scabrous bathroom, erratic shower water and broken equipment. Just as Stan complains that Eminem does not reply to his post, so the lieutenant's e-mail moans about a lack of response from the minister.

Apart from a bleak portrait of the barrackrooms, the video says that no progress has been made on granting cheap credits to professional soldiers - like Efremov - who want to buy their own place. The Russian army has shrunk from the Soviet era level of 4 million to 1.2 million, with conscripts' service cut from 18 months to one year. The military is increasingly reliant on professionals who sign up for fixed term contracts, but they are turning out to be more demanding, insisting on better living conditions, wages and pensions.

A lot of Russian soldiers come from Siberia. In a lot of ways, Siberia is a lot like the fly-over country here in the States. I wish I could take credit for this line, but I read it. “They must have exiled all the pleasant and smart and nice people to Siberia, because many Siberians are all of those things, but there are no nice, or pleasant or smart people in Moscow.” The superior attitude of Moscow and St. Petersburg towards the rest of Russia is so very similar to the way those of us in fly-over country are viewed by those in New York, Washington, LA and San Francisco.

Man, this guy did a fantastic job on the video given the equipment he had to work with. It's good to see the Russians haven't changed much in the treatment of their soldiers. They still value the equipment over the folks that run the equipment.

Right after the Berlin Wall came down, a Soviet unit, the 35th Motorized Rifle Division which was quartered in the Dallgow-Doebritz right outside of Berlin, held an Open House.

This was amazing not only because it was the Soviets inviting people to come see their base but it was literally in the weeks after The Wall fell.

My unit in Berlin organized military buses for anyone who wanted to go (they did NOT want us traveling singly) and off we went.

The base was spartan, but well kept. At the entrance they had a big wooden picture board that traced the history of the 35th MRD from its origins in the Soviet Union during WWII to its fight across Poland and then into Berlin. It then continued on to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia and subsequent return to Dallgow-Doebritz.

The Soviet officers club was well-stocked and a soldier choir was singing inside (this was only a few weeks before Christmas). A tour thru the enlisted barracks showed threadbare blankets, wooden floors and bunks that looked to be falling apart but spruced-up somewhat with new paint. The Germans that were also attending the Open House brought candy and were putting it on the soldiers' bunks. Not some of them brought it but it seemed like all of them did! To this day, though, I doubt the troops saw any of it.

Highlight of the tour was the static display of equipment I'd only read about - T-72, BMP-2, ZSU-23, 2S2 and 2S3. Got to climb in them, on them around them!

To this day I look back at it as a totally surreal experience. Very, very weird.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.