Russian Lt Exiled to Siberia

[tomahawk6]

This officer made a rap video deploring the condition of the barracks. He sent an email to the Minister of Defense which prompted his reassignment.

http://rutube.ru/tracks/660973.html?v=e271e93614b4095ce5b91d03120d5127

A Russian army lieutenant is being sent to the Russian Far East after making a rap video complaining about conditions in his St Petersburg barracks.

The video, posted on the Russian equivalent of YouTube, is set to the tune of "Stan", by US rapper Eminem.

In it the lieutenant laments the peeling walls and filthy bathroom and mouldy showers at his base.

But he is now being sent to Ussuriysk, a coal-mining town which is nine hours by air from Moscow.

The video - titled "A letter to the minister of defence" - features footage of the squalid living conditions in the barracks.

The soldier's musical complaint sees him read out an email he is writing to the Russian defence minister, asking what happened to the mortgages promised to soldiers to buy decent places to live.

And why did he never receive a reply to his previous letters, he asks?

Wretched conditions

However, the army appears to have shown its disapproval, by posting the soldier to Ussuriysk, which is home to a military school, a statue of Lenin and, according to guide books, lots of trees.

BBC Europe analyst, Steven Eke, says that the message in the video was a serious one.

Russia wants to build modern, professional armed forces. Yet wretched conditions - especially for conscripts - are one of the reasons for the hundreds of suicides and desertions every year that plague the Russian army.

And the video - posted on RuTube - has drawn hundreds of comments, our correspondent says.

Some fellow soldiers sympathised, but many viewers said it was disgraceful and had damaged the image of the Russian army.

 

[Pelorus]

Well, it's certainly an interesting way to get your point across.  >

 

[xena]

Didn't I hear about a similar video hitting this interwebby thing about the condition of the shacks in Fr Bragg?  Actually, the state of the barracks looks about similar.

Don't know what that means, in the big picture, but I just thought it was interesting.

 

[Greymatters]

Doesnt matter which military you are in, it never pays to poke the brass in the eye (unless youve got a lot of support already lined up!)...

 

[geo]

Well, IMHO, if you publicly pee in your COs cornflakes, you can't be too surprised when the hand of god comes down and squats ya

 

[PMedMoe]

While I certainly commiserate with him regarding the conditions of the barracks, I can't help but wonder if his new living conditions are better.....

 

[armyvern]

"M" for Initiative. 
"M" for Managing Resources.

>

 

[the 48th regulator]

I liked the part where the gal shaked her bum.

Bad barracks, talk about bad political video.....

I think this is more of some numpty being "badass" than it is about being political.  I found that some of the editing to be, well, a little too professional.  Meaning that he obviously had the resources at "home" to work on said video. Tap moving while he washes his hands....seemed like a scene from the little rascals.  Shower cutting out, half finished, neat how he showed up with only his t-shirt and no towel.

Meh, I still like the bum shaking though.

dileas

tess

 

[HItorMiss]

Tess that "girl" is a guy.... 

 

[the 48th regulator]

Tess that "girl" is a guy.... 

Oh ya I am sure.

Next thing you are going to say is that he did not cut his arm with the knife.  Or run over his lost love with his car.

dileas

tess

 

[GAP]

Oh ya I am sure.

Next thing you are going to say is that he did not cut his arm with the knife.  Or run over his lost love with his car.

dileas

tess

You are still excited..... ;D

 

[PMedMoe]

Wow, you guys actually watched the whole video?  Maybe I'd better have a second look at this bum shaking......

 

[garb811]

Just gotta wait for our local Nashi shill to show up to denounce the whole thing as Western Propaganda and trot out a couple references from independent <cough> Russian media sources showing the Rapper was actually commended for his honesty and his reward was a posting to the balmy Russian enclave of the Crimea.