Suicides Up 38 Percent In Russian Military

28 July 2004 -- Russia's military prosecutor-general yesterday said suicides in the country's armed services increased by nearly 40 percent during the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year.

Chief Military Prosecutor Aleksandr Savenkov said 109 servicemen have died from suicide since the start of this year, which he said was a 38 percent increase from 2003.

Savenkov said 60 soldiers were driven to suicide by their commanders.

Savenkov said embezzlement is another growing problem in the military. While no figures are available for the total sum embezzled this year, the losses in the embezzlement cases that resulted in sentences this year amounted to over $17 million.

(AFP/Reuters)