They Beat In Chest, Not Face, So There Would Be No Bruises’

BATE ex-player Henadz Mardas told about his service in the army in Pechy.

Henadz Mardas told in an interview for the Pressball correspondent Mikalai Ivanou about his military service in Pechy.

“Pechy was considered one of the most severe military units in the USSR. In the beginning it was hard. “Spirits, hang yourselves!”, all this classic stuff. There were about 100 people in the training company, they did not let us sleep at all. It was good when a soldier managed to get a 4-hour sleep. As for the food... I vomited on the first day. They gave us something which reminded porridge, and some sort of meat, or not meat, some mixture. I tried a bite, and that was it. I started eating bread little by little only on the second or third day. It was allowed to eat only in the canteen, so we had to take bread away in the pockets, at our own risk. Not enough food, not enough sleep — it was hard, both physically and psychologically.

Political studies were quite interesting, but everyone was trying not to fall asleep. It was good for the first ten minutes, and then the eyes closed. If an officer saw that somebody’s eyes were closed... It would be bad. And the eyelids dropped from exhaustion. I was so thin in the army that my ears were sticking out.

There was enough work. We were constantly with a shovel, we were taken to the landfills. There I learned what real thirst is. They ordered us to dig from morning till afternoon. Under the sun, the heat was some 30 degrees, maybe more. It was quite a long road, and we dug for six hours. We ran back to the unit. Not because there was such an order, but to get to the water faster. I drank a whole bucket once.

The sergeants mocked soldiers, but as for hazing, everything seemed fine. Now I read stories that someone is asked to wash the uniform, clean the boots, or give food — we did not have this. Those who have served six months were shepherds. They were placed above us, and above them were the senior sergeants. Naturally, there was order. If the bed was not properly made, I got punished. Sometimes they picked me up at night. The main thing was "plywood to view." They did not beat in the face, but in the chest. I also got it. The main thing is that there should not be bruises. But they knew where and how to beat.

Once the sergeant said to me: "Is it you who is a football player? There will be training in Barysau, you can take a day-off." I was happy, went to the City Stadium, but there was no one there. Apparently, the people did not gather. I stood there, I was surprised, I went back to the unit. What a day off," — Mardas said.