The Dedovshchina Abides: How Discipline Problems Endure Despite Years of Military Reform

Abstract

ABSTRACT The scholarly literature has long argued that dedovshchina — the mistreatment of young conscripts by older soldiers — was enduring, and will endure, despite ongoing reforms in the Russian military. This leads to a needed, updated exploration of dedovshchina a decade-plus since the “new look” reforms were launched. How we can understand this problem is lensed through Russian official statements and statistics, non-governmental organizations’ reports, and Russian-language media. Challenging our ability to achieve an accurate understanding of the issue is academia’s recent disinterest and of course the constricting information sphere in Russia. This article asks how we understand dedovshchina today, what this suggests for discipline in the military, and if those conditions might give some preliminary indications about the success of ongoing military reforms.