The Belarusian Army Loses Soldiers without War

This year there have been recorded four cases of death of soldiers on duty only in Barysau.

Despite the closed nature of the topic, information about some suicides among the military got leaked to the press. At that, the military unit in the Pechy regularly appears in reports, ex-press.by writes.

October 3, 2017, Aliaksandr Korzhych

At the moment, this is the latest known suicide committed in the Belarusian army. 21year-old Korzhych was allegedly found hanged in the premises of the military unit in the Barysau Pechy, where he did his military service. At the same time, Korzhych's relatives refuse to believe in the official version of suicide. Relatives of the soldier handed over posthumous photographs with clear signs of beatings to the Svaboda editorial office. They also say that Aliaksandr was repeatedly deprived of money and threatened with harm.

March 31, 2017, Artsyem Bastsyuk

Artsyem served in the military unit number 25849 of Barysay. The day before his death Bastsyuk called his parents, asked for forgiveness and said goodbye. The worried family immediately contacted the leadership of the unit and asked to sort out the situation. They were assured that everything would be fine with his son.

Three weeks before the death of his son the Bastsyuks came to the unit to meet with its leadership. Then in the presence of his parents Artsyem told the command about humiliating treatment, named those who put pressure on him.

After his death the Investigative Committee began inspection. Results of the investigation have not yet been disclosed, the case has not yet sent to court.

February 10, 2017, Pavel Starenkau

The remains of a 19 year-old serviceman from unit No. 44540 were found a few months after his disappearance. Starenkau left the unit in November 2016 and was on the wanted list. The Ministry of Defense and the Investigation Committee named suicide as the main cause of his death. An inspection was carried out, his comrades-in-arms and relatives were interrogated. Results of the inspection are not published.

January 19, 2017, Pechy, death in the square

The tragedy happened on the territory of the 72nd training center in Pechy. According to information that leaked into the press, the military of airborne forces died during exercises on the parade ground. The press service of the Defense Ministry confirmed the information but not details were disclosed. It is only known that this "is not connected with the military service."

August 24, 2016, a military training ground near Barysau

There is almost no information. It is known that the incident occurred at the 226th Barysauski trainig area. A soldier received live ammunition and went to the firing position. However, before reaching it, he put a gun against his head and fired all three bullets.

He was 23 years old, and only two months left before his discharge from the army. The Ministry of Defense confirmed the information, but details were not disclosed referring to "ethical reasons". The Investigative Committee conducted an inspection on the death of the soldier, its results were not published.

March 31, 2017, Pechy

The press-service of the Ministry of Defense: "On March 21, 2015, the suicide committed by a soldier took place in the 72 joint training center. Investigative actions are being carried out to determine the true causes of the incident. The Ministry of Defense expresses condolences to the family and friends of the soldier." Details of the incident were not disclosed.

April 13, 2005, Barysau, Maksim Kazheka

Kazheka died in the Barysau Pechy three months after being drafted into the army. He was the only son of his parents, went to the army right after school. Before the suicide, Maksim left the unit on his own, the next day he was found six kilometers away in the forest. The soldier hanged himself on his own belt, in his pocket there was a farewell note.

"The army is a complex school, a true test for human's nature," the official comments of the Ministry of Defense on the death of Maksim Kazheka said. - All emotional problems of a young man that are veiled by a measured civil life are immediately revealed here."

The Ministry of Defense of Belarus is very reluctant to share data on the number of suicides in the Belarusian army. In 2004 the then Defense Minister Leanid Maltseu noted that 11 people had committed suicide in the Belarusian army during the year.

The article "Army and Discipline" of Colonel Uladzimir Makarau, the head of the Information Department of the Main Directorate on the Ideology of the Defense Ministry, posted on the website of the Defense Ministry in 2009 sited much smaller figures.

"Last year the Belarusian army the similar indicator (the number of suicides) made 1 of 10 000 people, that is three times less the in the republic and four times less than in the Armed Forces in the mid-1990s," the article says. That is, about 5 cases per year.

The same article of Colonel Makarau provides suicide statistics in the mid-1990s. In 1995 there were 42 suicides in the Armed Forces of Belarus. In subsequent years, as Makarau writes, the number of tragic incidents began to decline:

"Measures on prevention of crimes and incidents taken in 1995-1996 contributed to a reduction in number of suicides only by more than two times already in 1996."

They involve the creation of a laboratory for social and psychological researches and introduction of military psychologists.