Russians try desperately to avoid conscription

[bluestateguy]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040508/RUSSIA08/TPInternational/Asia

MOSCOW -- Galina Arsenyeva is desperate to get her 18-year-old son Ivan into a good college. If that fails, she says she'll settle for putting him into a hospital for a few months.

"I will do whatever it takes to keep my boy out of the army," said the 52-year-old housewife, who added she "went into hysterics" when military police showed up at her door last week and served Ivan's draft notice.

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Although Russian leaders have repeatedly pledged to abolish the draft and create a U.S.-style professional army, the 1.2-million-strong Russian armed forces still annually induct up to 500,000 young men for compulsory two-year service, a high percentage of them unwilling to sign up.

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In response, defence officials are pressing the Kremlin to abolish most student deferments and have authorized the use of oblavi -- sometimes brutal press-gang-like raids by military police on youth hangouts, to scoop up eligible young men.

[Spinzonner]

1. Gee, now I'm so glad Dubya

looked into Putey-Poots eyes and saw his soul.

maybe he was looking for conscription advice.

[bluestateguy]

2. kick

:kick:

[bemildred]

3. Gee, but things are going so well in Chechnya now. nt

[montana_hazeleyes]

4. I swear. I read it to say

constipation!

[Mattforclark]

5. Hard to blame them

Grozny is not exactly a prime vacation spot.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

6. "brutal press-gang-like raids"

So it's "like" a press gang? What would a real press gang be? I read that bribery sometimes works with these thugs (in Russia). Will we see press gangs in the USA?