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There were sixteen disciplinary battalions in the Soviet army. Now there are four of them: in Mulino, Novosibirsk, Chita and Rostov. In Ussuriysk there is a separate disciplinary company. The issue of disbanding and liquidating two disbats is being considered.The battalion in Mulino is considered the largest.
1999
under Article 335 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (hazing and abuse of power) - 32 percent of the total number of convicts
under Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (unauthorized abandonment of a unit) - 16 percent of the total number of convicts
2001
under Article 335 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - 26.5 percent of the total number of convicts
under Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - 28 percent of the total number of convicts
under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (desertion) - of the total number of convicts 1.7 percent (9 people)
Currently, eight people are in detention for the second time: for leaving their unit without permission and for hazing.
Those who have served commit crimes:
from 1.5 to 2 years – 33 percent;
from 1 to 1.5 years – 23 percent;
1 year – 15 percent;
from 5 months to 1 year – 17 percent;
up to 6 months – 5 percent.
This military “zone” in the village of Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod region, is no different from other units that literally fill the local forests. The same gray reinforced concrete fence with guard towers around the perimeter. True, the territory is also separated from the outside world by a plowed control strip, simply a “ban”. Almost every day this strip is renewed by soldiers in the uniform of the 1943 model: cap, tunic with green shoulder straps “on a button” and riding breeches. As the disbat commander explained to me: “These are unconvoyed convicts who have no more than two months left before demobilization and release.”
A distinctive feature of the “zone” is an armed horse patrol that periodically circles it from the outside of the gray wall.
You can only enter the territory through the main checkpoint. Behind it is a small parade ground and a building with a sign: “Military unit headquarters...”. This is where the similarity with a regular military unit ends. A few meters later there is a small gray building, behind which is a completely ordinary door, a “local area” - a door made of metal rods. She is always under lock and key. The orderly unlocks it only by letting in newly arrived convicts and releasing the next ones who have “rewinded” their sentence. That’s why this contingent is called “variable composition” here. Security - military personnel from the so-called permanent composition, conscript soldiers. From among them, not only a guard is appointed, but also “controllers” who check the convicts before being sent to work and after returning. Permanent sergeants are assigned to assist the commanders of the five disciplinary companies.
Over six hundred pairs of soldiers' boots trample the parade ground from morning to evening. Movement on this asphalt square is permitted only by marching or running. The green mass of convicts sways. Haircuts and wartime uniforms put Marines and military construction workers, missilemen and sailors on an equal footing for the period determined by the verdict of a military court. And they all have the same dream: parole. Each of them has various crimes and sentences behind them. Some are serving time for theft, others for hazing. According to the law, the maximum term in disbat is two years. And so, depending on the severity of the crime committed, from six months to one and a half years. New arrivals - and every month up to a hundred convicts are admitted to the disbat - go through a quarantine department. After a month of intensive drill training, they are transferred to companies.
In addition to daily drills and life “according to the rules,” there are many restrictions and prohibitions. Thus, short-term visits with relatives are allowed: twice a month - up to four hours. You can spend three days with your parents only once every three months. For this purpose, there is a small hotel in the disbat. Although it has cozy rooms, they are guarded by the same “controller” soldiers. It is forbidden to bring tea, coffee, not to mention alcoholic beverages into the “zone” from a date. The restrictions even apply to writing instruments. According to the established rules, the convicted person has the right to bring into the “zone” one fountain pen and two refills, no more than two notebooks and ten envelopes. There are often cases when, after such meetings, a convict diagnosed with “severe overeating” ends up in a medical unit. Although the guys themselves admit that here they are “fed better than in their native part.” Sometimes parents, while dating, try to catch up on what they have lost in raising their son. One of the officers complained: “Okay, if the mother whips the careless child with a towel. Last year, one father, the chairman of a large breeding farm, had such an “educational conversation” with his son that he was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.”
Disbat, although not in the literal sense of a “zone,” but with all the attributes of bondage. Some are trying to escape. According to the deputy battalion commander, as a rule, such escapes end in failure. Some fugitives do not even go as far as being “banned.” Those who managed to cross the forbidden zone are found and given additional time.
True, one such escape did take place. Last August. Ironically, not without the help of my parents. During the meeting, the mother gave her son the tools, with which he sawed through the grating and climbed down from the second floor using tied sheets. For the disbat commander this is an emergency. That’s why he ordered the mother to be placed on the unit’s allowance and not to be released until the search for her son was completed... “Well, where will he run away? At one time, this soldier deserted from the unit. He was hiding with relatives in Kazakhstan. It doesn’t last a lifetime,” he concluded. “What about mother?” “I was indignant at the illegality of the detention and had to be released. But we have strong evidence that it was she who planned her son’s escape, for which she even hired a taxi in advance.”
Staying in a disbat is not recorded as a criminal record and, in theory, should not be counted toward the length of military service. Therefore, after release, many return to their units and serve. There are exceptions to the rules: for exemplary behavior, the term of imprisonment is counted. The rank and file of the variable composition are transferred to the reserve from the disbat. These people are called “ringers” here.
Previously, at the end of their term, soldiers were given money and travel documents, and they independently traveled to their units. However, there were cases when they committed new crimes along the way. Since 1997, soldiers released from disbat are sent to their unit only accompanied by an arriving officer or warrant officer. And sometimes you have to wait a long time for them. This is primarily due to the lack of money for business trips. In addition, the garrison may be located, for example, in the Far North. The undeveloped mechanism for release leads to the fact that soldiers are forced to sit out their sentences. In my presence, they released a marine who had come here from the guard company of the ship “Peter the Great.” His term ended in April, and they came for him only at the beginning of June. The arriving warrant officer explained his delay by saying that all this time the ship had been on a military cruise.
Therefore, some, giving up their release, voluntarily enroll as “ringers” and remain to serve in the disbat. They are transferred to the administrative building - “to the point”. There is no longer the disbat drill; they live according to the usual routine.
And in the “zone” the routine is strict: eight hours of sleep, eight hours of drill training and eight hours of work. After dinner - one hour of rest. Saturday and Sunday are days off. These days the club shows films. Artists also come, mostly local amateur groups.
This year, four weddings took place here and two children were adopted. And no wonder. Every day at the checkpoint there is a flock of young girls who did not wait for their boyfriends from the army. Love is not love, but the father-commanders suspect that in this way some of their charges intend to be released and retire earlier. According to the law, the birth of a child gives the right to discharge from the armed forces.
Convicts who have served a third of their sentence are allowed to work in the industrial zone. In the carpentry shop they make gazebos and stools, and weave baskets. The "sewing shop" sews mittens and military bedside rugs. Small reinforced concrete structures are also made: rings for wells, foundation blocks. The disbat also has its own subsidiary farm: a dozen cows, several dozen pigs, and chickens.
Soldiers' money, a little more than thirty rubles, is not handed out, but transferred to a bank account. After release, a financial settlement is made, and the serviceman receives about one hundred rubles and travel documents.
The barracks in the disbat are not much different from the usual ones. The same sleeping quarters. Only the windows have bars. Yes, in addition to the usual entrance doors to the company premises, an additional “local area” was installed, the keys to which are kept by the permanent sergeant. A convicted person can leave the premises only with his permission, having previously signed up in a special register.
Not only movement is limited, but also communication. For example, it is forbidden to communicate with convicts of another company. Guided by this, the “accomplices” are deliberately assigned to different companies. While serving their sentence, they do not have the right to even exchange a few words. This may result in disciplinary action, including the guardhouse, which is located on the territory of the disbat. The soldiers call her, in a prison manner, “kitcha.”
Before getting into the disbat, seventy percent of the convicts went through pre-trial detention centers. Over the course of several months of communicating with the “inmates there,” they not only adopt their jargon, but also acquire criminal experience.
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Convicts who have served a third of their sentence are allowed to work in the industrial zone |
The battalion command is concerned that the soldiers are bringing prison habits from the isolation wards. “As soon as they cross the threshold of the disbat, they try to “divorce by concepts,” one of the officers told me. From there we understand that in captivity it is easier to survive in small groups. They gather in “families” of four to five people. Each such group has its own leader who represents and protects its interests. The task of commander-educators is to identify such a leader and make him manageable.
The rank and file of the variable composition arrogantly call themselves “swindlers.” The soldier-guards, whom they initially dislike, were disparagingly dubbed “cops.” Company commanders are treated with a touch of condescension and called “daddy.”
It happens that soldiers who have been “sent” to a pre-trial detention center also “enter” the disbat. As a rule, this happens to “mischievous” people, that is, to those who violate the unwritten laws of the camera. The officers go to great lengths to help the soldier hide this fact from the rest of the convicts. But the “wireless prison telegraph” works here too. Yet, unlike the usual “zone” in the army, there are no differences between convicts in terms of criminal articles or terms. Everyone is equal here. Even Chechens and those who fought in Chechnya...
“Do we have Chechens? Of course there is. – The platoon commander of the fifth company was silent for a while. - We have a problem with them. If you punish them disciplinaryly, they start complaining about post-traumatic syndrome and talking about how they were bombed from helicopters. They are trying to quit through a psychoneurological clinic.” “And those who fought in Chechnya?” - “And these are there. Only these ones are immediately visible - they are somehow matured, serious. They don’t complain about their troubles and are silent anymore.”
The fate of Private Ivan was no different from the fate of his comrades who ended up serving in the North Caucasus Military District. At first he was a gunner-radio operator. Their unit accompanied the columns on the territory of Chechnya. One day, the armored personnel carrier that Ivan was on was blown up by a landmine. The guy came to his senses only in Rostov, in the hospital. After being shell-shocked, he remained in service and returned to his unit. Transferred to the position of armored personnel carrier gunner.
There were six months left before transfer to the reserve, when the command granted Ivan and his colleague leave. They received thirteen thousand “combat” soldiers each. “In Prokhladny, the cops robbed us and took away ten thousand.” The remaining money was only enough to get to a friend’s house in Veliky Novgorod. We decided to get some money and have time to visit Ivan’s parents in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The money was never found, and they didn’t get to their relatives. We decided to return to the unit. We contacted the local military registration and enlistment office, and the officer there advised us not to return to the unit: “What should you do there? What difference does it make where to serve? The same military registration and enlistment office also assisted in sending me to the nearest collection point for deserters. Having become voluntary deserters, they whiled away their days and awaited assignment to another unit. “At the gathering point of the “skiers” (as the fugitives are called. - A.K.) there is mortal melancholy. Fortunately, entry and exit from the territory is free.”
During this time, the comrades managed to meet girls from the neighboring village. One soon invited them to a birthday party. For some reason, a friend was late to the party. They drank everything and a lot. According to Ivan, two glasses were enough for him to “go crazy” after the concussion. “A friend started yelling at a friend who was late. Knocked out the chair under him. Then she threw a bottle at me. I don’t remember what happened next.”
And then... His colleague’s drunken girlfriend was taken away by ambulance to get stitches on her head. Ivan was taken away by the police. A day later, the prosecutor’s office arrived and opened a criminal case. He awaited trial for two months in the Veliky Novgorod pre-trial detention center, which sentenced him to two years in a disciplinary battalion. “They hanged up Article 337 for unauthorized abandonment of the unit,” he smiled bitterly, apparently remembering the “kind” advice of an officer from the military registration and enlistment office.
Ivan’s current commander explained: “He arrived to us with a broken psyche - a consequence of shell shock. At first there were conflict situations, I didn’t want to obey. For this he even served ten days in the guardhouse. He stubbornly insisted that he got here “for no reason.” He is currently a model of behavior and a candidate for parole."
From a personal file: “Roman Sh. and Alexander F. from December 6, 2000 to March 25, 2001, took part in hostilities in the Chechen Republic...” Upon arrival at the military unit where they were to continue serving, three colleagues were beaten for that they were sentenced to one year and one and a half years of imprisonment, respectively, to be served in a disciplinary battalion. The motive for the crime is curious.
Colleagues recall: “Before their arrival in the ninety-ninth regiment, three old-time soldiers, drafted from one North Caucasian republic, mocked the young soldiers. They “kept” the entire unit - they took away things and money. Roman and Alexander were outraged by this state of affairs in the regiment and even tried to raise young soldiers against the unruly trio. But all their efforts were in vain. The regiment was terrified of these three. Then the guys decided to act on their own. On July 21, 2001, they beat the old soldiers and took away from them what, in their opinion, previously belonged to the young soldiers.” It is worth noting that by this time Roman was married and had a child.
Shortly before my arrival at the disbat, both soldiers were released on parole.
From another personal file: “Adam M., born in 1981. Called up in November 2001 by the Grozny RVK... Convicted under Art. 213 part 3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to one year and six months of imprisonment with serving the sentence in a disciplinary battalion...” In December 2001, drunk, he broke into an officer’s apartment and started a fight. Neighbors in the stairwell helped push him out of the apartment. But he returned with a knife, threatening the officer and his wife.
At the trial, the soldier explained his outburst by saying that he saw the officer’s wife with a cigarette, but in Chechnya women don’t behave like that.
This story was shown on Nizhny Novgorod television. Many were surprised by the lenient sentence...
Summer June evening. There is a group of soldiers at the checkpoint. Some in naval uniform, some in regular camouflage - paratroopers, internal troops and border guards. Tomorrow they will be put on identical green tunics, and they will join companies of variable composition. They will begin to “wind up” the term of the army “diesel”.
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Once again, at the invitation of the Ministry of Defense Press Club, which regularly organizes press tours for bloggers, I went to study military life from the inside. This time the unit was not quite ordinary - the 28th separate DISCIPLINARY BATTALION in Mulino.
My dad, who served in the army in the 80s, said that soldiers were always afraid of disbats like fire. There was an opinion: a zone is better than a disbat. So I went to the unit in advance full of sympathy and compassion for the guys who found themselves in inhumane conditions. Now I can tell everyone frankly: there are no “inhuman” conditions, no one is torturing anyone. Discipline, a strict daily routine, work and an almost complete lack of free time - that, in fact, is all that distinguishes a disbat from an ordinary military unit.
And also regarding the comparison with the zone: only 5% of the guys who served their sentences in the disbat subsequently commit crimes. I think we all realize that the percentage of those released from prison who re-offend is very high.
Why do they end up in disbat?
First of all, I was interested in the fate of the people who ended up in the disciplinary battalion. Who, why, for what term was sentenced, admits guilt or not, etc. Thanks to the unit’s leadership for permission to ask questions and talk with any of the soldiers, including the new arrivals.
This is Egor, he is 21 years old. He served in Tver in the air force. In the 7th month of service, I had an argument with a guy from the new conscription and hit him.
I ask: why did you do this?
“I wanted to show that I am better. Now, of course, I understand that I was wrong, but nothing can be corrected.”
For bruising a colleague, Egor will serve 8 months in the disbat. I don’t know whether he’s sincere or not, but he says that the conditions are normal, not much different from the army, “only they’re watching us seriously.”
“Here I became calmer. I realized that it is impossible to cause pain. Moreover, it is not worth losing 8 months of freedom. When I return home, I dream of going to university, studying to become a psychologist.”
Sergei has a different story. He just arrived at the unit and was sentenced to 10 months. He probably won’t admit his guilt, and he certainly didn’t expect to be punished for disobeying orders. But in vain...
Extract from the verdict (photo below):
“At about 11 p.m. on January 4, 2011, Private Grigoriev, being an orderly for the unit... in the barracks, without good reason and acting deliberately, evading a number of duties of military service and wanting to create easier conditions for himself to perform it,... openly and demonstratively refused to carry out the oral order of the duty officer for a given military unit to clean the barracks premises assigned to the orderly in the company..."
Well, there are many more stories that could be told, but they are all similar: failure to follow orders, leaving a unit without permission, not returning from dismissal, beating up a co-worker... I really feel sorry for them, but then you understand: they are being disbatted for a cause, and he’s right a unit commander who does not cover hazing among soldiers.
The number of people serving sentences in the disbat is not growing: now there are 200 people there (for comparison, in 2004 there were more than 700). This makes me happy =)
What do soldiers do in the disbat?
Disbat is, first of all, discipline. The daily routine is as follows:
6.30 - rise
6.40 - control formation on the parade ground
50 minutes charging
Then the morning toilet, making the bed
8.20 - breakfast
9.00 - formation, flag raising
9.10 - 13.50 - training sessions for people in quarantine (those who are here for no more than 2 weeks)
The rest at this time are engaged in socially useful work, working in a reinforced concrete workshop (photos will be below)
14.00 - lunch. Then personal time.
16.00 - control formation
until 17.50 - classes and socially useful work
18.00 - 18.50 - those who are in quarantine undergo a daily medical examination for the presence of bruises and marks from beatings (according to the command of the unit, this is nonsense in the disbat, but these are the rules)
19.20 - 19.50 - dinner
Then personal time
21.50 - formation and evening walk (20 minutes)
Work in a reinforced concrete workshop. The proceeds from the sold products go to the account of the part. The work is VERY difficult, but the education of fighters is possible exclusively through work, and nothing else. You have to work.
And this is lunch:
The food is good. Soup, buckwheat with chicken, vegetable salad, fruit drink. Acting The unit commander gave his word that this was not a show and this is the way the guys eat every day.
“Let’s go see our poodles and lap dogs,” they told us, and off we went. Cute doggies))
I had to stand aside, because I was very embarrassed by this huge dog, shaking the bars and howling heartbreakingly, and especially embarrassed by the soldier who was holding the shaky lock on the door of the enclosure with his hand. Then we were told that 3 years ago the convict tried to escape. It was the dogs that detained him. 16 bites + crossfire on the legs from the guards. No one else tried to escape.
Demonstration performances
The results are as follows
I didn’t have time to ask a lot, time was very limited, for example, how does one serve in a guard company (these are ordinary conscripts).
For those who got here not by chance, but for a reason, it’s hard not so much physically as mentally. Barbed wire, 2 security systems, dogs also guard the area at night. Every two hours - building and checking the composition. The terms are quite long - from 3 months to 2 years. At the end of his term, the guy is sent to serve in the army, only in a different unit. Meetings with relatives are allowed (4 times a year), but only with the closest ones - parents, brothers, sisters and wives. One parcel per month is also allowed, but the list of items is strictly limited.
But if there weren’t such units (and we now have two disbats - in Mulino and in Chita), many would go to serve time behind bars.
Conclusion: if you serve, take the army seriously. Respect the rules and your colleagues. Although I didn’t see any horrors in the disbat, I don’t recommend going there.
Disciplinary battalions (disbats, or as they are also called by conscript soldiers, “diesels”) are specialized military units to which privates who have committed serious offenses while serving in the Armed Forces are sent. Offenses can vary widely, but they are mostly criminal offences. In addition, disciplinary battalions are intended to house cadets from military schools or institutes with a military focus until they are awarded the rank of private in the Russian army.
From the history of disbats
In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, ordinary military personnel, as well as junior commanding officers, were sent to separate disciplinary battalions. The military tribunal sentenced them to imprisonment for terms ranging from six months to two years, most often for unauthorized absence. Subsequently, the practice was to replace imprisonment with terms of up to two years, with the transfer to separate disciplinary battalions of those military personnel who had committed ordinary crimes with insignificant public danger. As soon as the Great Patriotic War began, most of the individual disciplinary battalions (except those stationed in the eastern regions of the Soviet Union) were disbanded. The servicemen serving their sentences in them were sent to the front line and enrolled in ordinary military or penal units - this depended on the severity of the crimes committed.
At the end of the summer of 1942, in accordance with Order No. 227 (popularly referred to as “Not a Step Back”), it was decided to create front-line penal battalions for command personnel, as well as army penal companies for Red Army sergeants and petty officers.
According to the combat schedule of penal units and units of the Red Army in 1942-1945, there were more than 50 penal battalions and more than 1000 penal companies. In the post-war period, most of these units and units were disbanded or reformed. This is how the first disciplinary battalions were created, which were able to survive under this name after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the armed forces of the CIS countries. Similar units have been retained by the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, as well as some other states.
Disciplinary battalions are present in all districts and in the Naval Forces. Military personnel in such units are divided into “permanent” personnel (those undergoing active military service by conscription or contract, occupying command positions, ranging from squad commander to battalion commander); as well as a “variable” composition, which are the convicts. For military personnel holding officer positions, military ranks may be assigned one step higher than those provided for in similar combined arms units and units. Thus, a platoon commander can be a captain, a company commander can be a major, and a battalion (disbat) commander can be a serviceman with the military rank of colonel. Military personnel sent to disciplinary battalions, in accordance with the decision of the military tribunal, are deprived of their military ranks, which can be restored after the end of the sentence (or in connection with release on parole) in cases where the convicts were not deprived of them during the sentencing process.
Reasons for sending to disbat
Nowadays, some conscripts commit crimes for which they have to answer in any case. They are sent to disbat, without losing their term of service, not counting some exceptions that are provided for and are in the power of the commander of the military district. Thus, at the end of the sentence, military personnel are sent for further service to their units and units in order to serve out the remaining time.
There is only one reason why military personnel end up in disciplinary battalions to serve their sentences: a criminal offense has been committed, and a military court has issued a corresponding verdict.
If a serviceman has fully served his sentence and is released to complete his service, documentary evidence that he committed criminal offenses is not provided.
Sentences that will decide the future fate of offenders can only be passed by military courts. Military personnel whose offenses are not considered serious and do not entail punishment for more than two years can be included in disciplinary battalions. The most common crimes committed by military personnel are “AWOLs” or so-called “hazing.”
Disbat differs from prison in that convicts are held there not in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code, but in accordance with general military regulations.
The differences between disciplinary battalions and regular military units are as follows:
- Unquestioning obedience to general military regulations;
- Extremely strict planning of the day;
- No layoffs.
Military personnel who find themselves in disbats are mainly engaged in performing chores.
Features of the penal battalion
The disciplinary battalion contains up to 350 soldiers. The regime of their detention and punishment is described in special documentation dating back to the times of the Soviet Union, supplemented in the Russian Federation since June 1997, as well as in the order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dated July 29 of the same year.
At the end of one third of the sentence, if the soldiers have distinguished themselves by exemplary behavior, some of them may be offered reassignment to a detachment to reform. In addition, they may be given the opportunity to serve on a daily basis or perform the duties of workers.
The length of stay in the disbat is mostly no more than 24 months, mainly due to theft and hazing. In most cases, soldiers are sent to a disciplinary battalion for a period of 5 to 17 months.
When new troops arrive at the disbat, they must be quarantined. These soldiers are then given 30 days of intensive training. After passing it, the process of distributing them to companies begins.
In disciplinary battalions, there is strict adherence to a daily routine, which has many restrictions. For example, visits with convicts are strictly regulated and take place according to a schedule. They can be short-term, no more than two or three hours, and only in the presence of guards.
Any transfers from relatives or friends, with minor exceptions, are prohibited. In addition, coffee, tea, and even more so alcohol are prohibited. The prohibitions also apply to stationery. Convicts are entitled to one pen with two refills and nine envelopes.
In disbat, convicts are prohibited from communicating with each other and moving freely. Military personnel who committed an offense with accomplices are distributed to different units. Moreover, they may not even see each other while serving the sentence. Violation of these rules entails punishment in the guardhouse.
Before arriving at disciplinary battalions, military personnel are kept in pre-trial detention centers. As a result, young people borrow the behavior of experienced prisoners with many “walks.” Such experience often leads to disastrous changes in the unformed psyche of soldiers.
It is clear that in such places escape attempts are not uncommon; there have even been riots in disbats. But this did not lead to anything good, but only ensured an increase in the term of serving. In cases where convicted soldiers were models of exemplary behavior, they received the privilege of deducting the time spent in disbat from their service life.
End of serving the sentence
Not so long ago, military personnel who served their terms were provided with money and sent back to their units to complete their military service. It often happened that they committed crimes along the way to the unit, so the command decided to provide them with escort. But due to the fact that it is not always possible to find accompanying persons quickly, the dispatch is often delayed.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them
I visited where every soldier’s “horrible dream” is - where there are no smoke breaks, dismissals, smiles... There is only merciless, meaningless Discipline. He was lucky to get into the Mulino disbat. It was lucky that he ended up there as a correspondent. Below are his photographs and a story about the battalion, where a day consists of eight hours of drill exercises on the parade ground, eight hours of cramming the regulations or (for the lucky ones) hard physical labor in the reinforced concrete products workshop, and eight hours of sleep.We left just before dawn as a group of eight people for the so-called “press tour for bloggers.” Fortunately, we all turned out to be professional journalists, and the bloggers slept safely, so no one interfered with our work. But these are lyrics. And the practice was that after five hours of travel we parked at the checkpoint of military unit 12801. And then there were photos and a few captions under them.
The uniform is already outdated with “Convoy” stamps on the back and numbers on the chest and sleeves (company number). This is done to make it easier for guards to identify their charges. Always on duty. Drill training takes up a third of a day in the life of a convicted soldier in a disbat. The other two-thirds are divided between chores, study of the rules and sleep. The meaning is simple - a disciplinary battalion is not a prison, it is a military unit, the stay in which is intended to restore respect for discipline to the fallen soldier. And it takes root. Yesterday's rowdies and scumbags walk in line, shyly lowering their extinguished gaze. Strict and even extreme adherence to the letter and spirit of the army regulations is the most effective method. Those who have passed the disbat, according to statistics, then very rarely stumble - according to the deputy battalion commander, over the past year there have been only two requests from the court asking for characterizations of former local “pets”.
Arrival of the “young replenishment”. I would not dare to call this moment the most joyful in the life of Private S.G., although he, apparently, does not yet realize where he ended up. The political officer reads him an order to enroll in the third disciplinary company. Now he will have a few free minutes within ten months to reflect on whether it was worth refusing to clean the barracks, as all the orderlies who are on duty do. In disbat, the proudest horsemen plow like bees from morning to evening just to earn parole.
And this is the text of the verdict, if anyone is interested. 
And three more newcomers. The eyes are still sparkling, curiosity is still visible in them - after all, a new page in life. It would be better not to open it. But it's too late.
Muslim soldiers gathered for Friday prayers in a makeshift mosque set up at the club. People from the North Caucasus make up 42% of the contingent, and the mullah visits them every Friday.
In the wooden church of St. Sergius, built by the hands of the soldiers themselves, is also crowded: the priest talks about the life of the holy apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas. I have a strong suspicion that the priest was asked to come specifically on the occasion of our visit - a day, frankly, not a Sunday or a holiday. But the guys can break away from the mind-numbing routine at least for a few minutes.
They kissed the cross, returned to formation, and marched at a walking pace - in this part, movement can only be of two types: marching or running. There is no third option.
Hozzona. Working in a concrete shop is a privilege and must be earned. And although the work is hard and monotonous, it allows you to at least partially break out of the vicious circle - drill, cleaning, drill, outfit, drill, cleaning...
Fences, barbed and cutting wires, prohibitions, machine gunners on towers, ferocious dogs - it’s almost impossible to escape. Although there were precedents. Many attempts ended very badly: the dogs know no mercy, and the sentries shoot to kill immediately after a warning shot.
The ration is ordinary, soldier's - in this the battalion is no different from any other unit. 
This part, unlike the others, is divided into two parts: one is normal, the second is behind the thorn and sluice doors. In the first there are security barracks, a “contingent” or “variable composition” also works there, but always under the supervision of four machine gunners. The cartridges in the horns are military, all for real.
In fact, from a purely external perspective, it all looks like an ordinary military unit, and to an outside observer it is not entirely clear what has inspired such horror in many generations of soldiers since the mid-19th century, when the first disbats appeared. In fact, probably only those who served can understand this. Remember the first two weeks of school? Endless drills, stops, wake-ups, “put aside - back to the starting point,” meaningless work to the point of complete exhaustion, drill in the cold or under the scorching sun and not a minute of personal time. So, here everything (and much worse) is ALWAYS, from the first to the last day. And no concessions ever. I understand perfectly well that they showed us a glossy picture - everything looks too correct and exemplary: this does not happen in life. I don’t know what happens in the barracks at night, when the bars to the sleeping compartment are closed - we must not forget that many of the local inhabitants managed to go through the pre-trial detention center and picked up the local traditions. The officers say nothing is going on, and maybe that's true, but I don't know.
There were 16 disbats in the Soviet Army, until recently there were 4 in the Russian Army, now there are two left - in Mulino, and in the Far East, in Ussuriysk. At the end of the year the question of their existence will be decided. Are they needed or not? The argument for this is that this is not a prison, and the convicted person’s criminal record is removed immediately upon completion of his sentence. The argument against it is that when switching to a one-year conscription period, many soldiers who have committed crimes simply do not have time to get here: their term of service expires before the end of the investigation and trial, and they automatically become “clients” of the ordinary criminal punishment system. That is why in the barracks designed for 800 people there are only 170, and this is from the entire European part of Russia.
My assessment: I am for a contract army, but while there is no such army, the military system of punishment is still effective.
And ideally, since military personnel are tried by a military court, then they should sit in military pre-trial detention centers and military prisons, as is the case, for example, in the States. Regardless of titles and ranks. Still, the army is too separate a structure. In 2002-2006 There was already an attempt to cancel the guardhouse, which eventually ended with its restoration. And I, who sat on the “lip” three times (though not for long), remember very well what an effective deterrent tool it was.
By the way, for especially talented representatives, the disbat has its own guardhouse. I can’t even imagine what awaits those who get there. It's probably better not to know.
28th separate disciplinary battalion in Mulino- one of the two disbats remaining in Russia. The second is near Chita. But even in those days when there were more disbats throughout the country, Mulinsky was considered one of the most prosperous, if at all the words “well-being” and “disbat” can be put side by side. I think the few hours spent inside this impressive establishment turned out to be extremely useful. A source of knowledge of life of rare power.
A disciplinary battalion is not a prison, but a military unit. There are two types of personnel serving in military unit 12801 - permanent and variable. Variable military personnel are those who are inside the protected perimeter. They end up inside for varying periods of time, from three months to two years. At the moment, there are 170 “guests” in the unit out of a possible 800.
Knowledgeable people explained: going to a disciplinary battalion is not such a simple task. I mean, there are few “accidentally stumbled” people, more of those who managed to gain quite significant personal “fame” through their efforts. The army is not a chamber of weights and measures and not a right-flank scout detachment, it is a huge organization within which a lot of the strangest violations and deviations constantly happen. And you will have to strain a little to be personally noticed against the general background. Some spared no effort on this.
There are many in disbat who allowed themselves the so-called. hazing. Otherwise, this kind of relationship is called “hazing” or “anniversary”. One of the most common types of hazing is beating up colleagues. In addition to the “executors”, there is also a large percentage of “Sochi residents” ( SOC- unauthorized abandonment of a unit) or, as they are also called, “skiers.” Generally speaking, there are not so many articles under which soldiers of variable composition were convicted.
For example, Article 335 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Violation of the statutory rules of relations between military personnel in the absence of subordination relationships between them. Violation of the statutory rules of relations between military personnel in the absence of a relationship of subordination between them, associated with humiliation of honor and dignity or mockery of the victim, or associated with violence, is punishable by detention in a disciplinary military unit for a term of up to two years or imprisonment for a term of up to three years. And subparagraphs to the article.
Or article 337. Unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of duty. Unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of service, as well as failure to appear on time for service without good reason upon dismissal from a unit, upon assignment, transfer, from a business trip, vacation or medical institution lasting more than two days, but not more than ten days, committed by a military personnel undergoing military service. conscription service is punishable by arrest for a term of up to six months or detention in a disciplinary military unit for a term of up to one year. And again there are a lot of sub-points.
In the disbat there are former thieves, brawlers, robbers, unprincipled hooligans and simply amazing fools (for those interested - almost an hour long film with real stories). But there are no rapists, murderers or other criminals. Institutions of a different kind are intended for them.
Here, by the way, a very big question arises - where, in fact, is it better: in the disbat or in prison? Personally, I don’t know the correct answer, but I suspect that for the majority of those who stop by, disbat is more useful than prison. But these are my fantasies, of course; I don’t know how it really is there. But I know that there are no marks of a criminal record in the passport of a serviceman who spent time in a disbat. Of course, it won’t be difficult for the military commissar to understand what lies behind the lines about being in military unit 12801, but for the rest, for those not involved, the person’s reputation is untarnished. This, there is an opinion, in a number of circumstances can be costly for a young man.
“Nothing makes a warrior’s life easier than discipline...”
In companies there are only privates. Past achievements, titles and distinctions do not count. The type of military service and specialization also do not play a role. A sailor, a motorized rifleman, a border guard or a “Vovan” - everyone is equally warmly welcomed into the fold of the disciplinary battalion. They shave their heads and change them into new uniforms. The times when the Red Army uniform of the 1943 model was worn in the disbat are gone. Caps with stars, trousers and tunics with a stand-up collar are no longer in warehouses.
The servicemen are dressed in regular “camouflage”. On top of the uniform, the company numbers and the inscription CONVOY are applied across the entire back using white paint through a stencil. This is so as not to confuse constant and variable compositions with each other. Another visible difference between the compositions is overcoats instead of pea coats. Although, as you can see in the pictures, there are also pea coats. The footwear is quite uniform - boots. In cold weather - felt boots. By the way, the boots of the convicted soldiers we met in the unit really shone. The fighters’ buckles, on the contrary, are faded and field-colored. Some are painted green for some reason.
Inside the protected perimeter there are bars on the windows, buffer gates made of metal mesh and other restrictions. The sleeping area in the barracks is separated by a locked metal lattice door. If at night a fighter feels the urge to go to the toilet, he must check in on a special list and proceed to the place of discharge of natural needs strictly in splendid isolation. Already together, for example, you can’t rush to the toilet at night.
While we were photographing the orderly, the outfit sleeping in the barracks received the command “Rise!” Those on vacation instantly flew over their beds and marched in a clear, short formation to the washing room.
The national question is largely absent; various kinds of “community communities” and other groups are not encouraged. But the so-called “Caucasians” are present. Approximately every fourth of the 170 current “convicts” is from the Caucasus. Among them there are citizens who mistakenly consider themselves stubborn and unbending. If the list of offered pleasures seems insufficiently complete to a fiery fighter for his male rights who has come to the disbat, there is a healing guardhouse. The period of stay there is up to 30 days. A court decision is not required; the will of the commander is sufficient.
If thirty days on the “lip” seemed like a joke, the procedure can be repeated. So far, they say, it has helped everyone. As a result, the convicted and guilty soldier’s desire to work on himself and constructive physical labor in the name of society increases sharply. But the “dietary food” in the form of bread and water at the guardhouse was cancelled. The inmates there and the disbat soldiers are fed the same.
Outside, the “variable” warriors are guarded by other warriors from the permanent staff. In addition to the shooters, fierce guard dogs and special equipment are on guard. The object is secure, the guards move in “armor”, helmets and with fixed bayonets and, in which case, have the right to open fire to kill. They know how to shoot, the unit’s command conducts live firing almost every Friday, fortunately the training ground in Mulino is gigantic, there is enough space for both a guard shooter and self-propelled guns.
“My friend and I both work on diesel...”
The labor front for military personnel of variable composition is all around. Starting from the barracks, shining with almost sterile cleanliness, the absolutely square snowdrifts around the parade ground, and ending with the painstaking production of large-scale models of the unit for the local museum.
After the “tour” of the unit, those gathered were given the opportunity to listen to short stories of four disbat soldiers. The most harmless of them is the “self-propelled gun”. He ran away from the unit home, ran for three days, and now he will spend nine months behind the fence in Mulino. Next to him is a guy with a Georgian surname and restless eyes. He beat the officer who was filming him on a video camera, and broke the video camera. Why? For what? Not clear. 10 months to think about it.
The one who held up best was the former sergeant, who had already served for 11 months, was discharged and, on this basis, suffered serious bodily injuries. Arrived in Mulino for 2 years. He looked at everyone with an eagle eye, apparently, he was a tough nut to crack. The others' eyes were dark and scary. The young boys evoked sympathy, whatever. Among them were amazing characters. Now everyone together will enjoy exciting activities to correct themselves.
The officers accompanying us explained clearly: trimming and tirelessly squaring snowdrifts, constantly walking in formation, the difficult casting of concrete blocks in the industrial zone and months of cramming the same rules that have already become boring a hundred times over are, of course, stupid activities. This is clear to everyone, especially civilians. Sensible occupations are extortion, theft, escapes, beatings, vehicle thefts, unauthorized absences from mother’s house and trips to the next vacation, exhausting oneself with many days of drinking and indiscriminate robbery of clueless citizens. It's a completely different matter!
The craving for such hobbies in disbat is relieved with the help of occupational therapy. While we were standing on the parade ground, several groups of fighters with crowbars, shovels and brooms marched in different directions, briskly striding along the frozen asphalt. On the parade ground, disbat soldiers either march (most often in formation, but sometimes individually) or run. Drill training and physical education are closely intertwined and fill almost all of a serviceman’s leisure time. And in general, the impression was that the variable-strength soldier in a disbat tends to either stand still or immediately run.
In the so-called In their “free time”, servicemen of the disciplinary battalion can turn to faith. On the territory of the disbat, a small, very neat Orthodox church was erected by the hands of the convicts. There is a prayer room for Muslims. In rare moments of leisure, believing soldiers have the opportunity to reflect on their immortal souls. Places of worship in the military unit are not empty.
Do they flee from the disbat? They are running. But rarely and unsuccessfully. One of the escape cases was recorded in 2008. The escape ended sadly: after warning shots in the air, the guards opened aimed fire at the fugitive, shot him in both legs, and the guard dogs also bit the wounded man. But there is no need to look for the guilty here; all participants in the events knew for certain what they were getting into and what to expect. In Mulino it’s not Hollywood at all; you won’t find many kilometers of heated ventilation openings and baskets of laundry to ensure a comfortable escape.
In the history of the disbat there were particularly resourceful fighters: one decided to run away through the sheets through the window straight from the hotel where he was staying with his visiting parents, and the other bravely ate nails and other metal objects. I really wanted to rest in the hospital. The nails were removed from the inventive object and parts were transferred to the museum. Other items confiscated from (from) convicts are also stored there - syringes, homemade playing cards, primitive sharpening points, knives and other useful little things.
It was not possible to see any, let me emphasize once again in red, ANY horrors in the location of the unit, except for those that were demonstrated at every step: cleanliness, monotony, full employment. Without any jokes - 8 hours of drill and physical training, 8 hours of studying regulations, 8 hours of sleep, moving strictly within the perimeter by running or marching, checks, formations, strict adherence to the daily routine, not everyone can withstand the daily drill. The regulations, for example, are studied until complete amazement and falling into a military trance; only on this basis can one move one’s mind! There is no doubt - a difficult place. You can see everything at once from the faces of the variable composition of military personnel. It’s not worth coming here, they say, but it will only dawn on you too late.
I don’t know whether the skills and abilities acquired in disbat will be useful to soldiers in later life, but from a conversation with a permanent soldier it became clear: knowing the regulations makes life easier on any side of the barbed wire. The soldier seems to know what he's talking about.
