How a recruit can survive in the Russian army. Gennady Ponomarev - How to survive in the army. A book for conscripts and their parents

Every young guy in life will have to repay his debt to his homeland - go into the army, so you need to prepare for this stage in advance from an early age, mentally and physically. This can be learned on the street or at school.

Talk to people who have gone through this stage in their lives and ask for advice. The specifics are different for each branch of the military, but military techniques for recruits are the same.

In order not to be an outcast, you should not try to rise above everyone else, but try to always be in a team and not run from one group to another. Make friends with peers so that there is support in difficult times.

You must try to keep yourself and the barracks clean. But there is no need to be a self-promoter in any matters; they can be left to the guilty.

In order for the old-timers to be treated normally, you need to follow all orders and not cause anger and hatred, but at the same time try not to let yourself be trampled into the dirt.

For those who are not given peace of mind, there is a special number for the military prosecutor's office. They will sort out the problems and will not let the soldier offend the “grandfathers.”

When sending letters home, there is no need to complain too much to your superiors; letters are re-read before sending. You need to be careful before writing something bad.

The main thing is to make friends, the more the better, without them you can’t go anywhere. Try to make friends with senior ranks and not abandon like-minded people in trouble.

There is no need to obey grandfathers in their personal requests: wash footcloths, socks, etc. These are not the duties of a soldier.

In order not to receive outfits out of turn, you need to monitor your appearance and hygiene. You especially need to take care of your feet, they are the most important in the army.

To avoid chafing your feet, you need to learn how to wrap footcloths correctly. Seniors can teach this.

Strictly comply with all points of the charter, this will help if problem situations arise. If something happens, it is advisable to contact your commander.

And we must remember that a bad student is an excellent soldier. There are 8 rules for a young fighter:

The sergeant major is your whole family during the army period.

You should never store personal belongings in the barracks, everything personal is at home.

8 km night run.

Bosses love cleanliness.

You can’t be behind, but you can’t be ahead of everyone either. It's better to be in the middle.

You need to eat from the heart.

Do not write about your problems to your mother.

Always answer questions loudly.

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The Russian army is a rather closed structure; issues are mainly resolved within the organization itself. On the one hand, the army is committed to transparency; soldiers are allowed to use mobile phones, but on the other hand, official data on non-combat casualties of military personnel is reluctant to be made public. The site's correspondents studied the stories of soldiers and the sad statistics of accidents and deaths among military personnel.

Why don’t university graduates join the Russian army? What should new recruits expect and how to prepare for service? As Chelyabinsk residents who have already served say, some have long dreamed of getting into the service, while others went to the military registration and enlistment office in the hope that they would not be accepted. The stories of most conscripts are the same. Some admit that they joined the army with the most pessimistic expectations simply because they heard a lot of unflattering reviews.

Vyacheslav: “I received good physical training in the army. The army is such a catalyst for your abilities, an opportunity to test what you are really worth.”

Nikolay: “I had to leave the army as an electronic warfare station operator. I saw the equipment in action once in a year - it didn’t work, and for a report photograph, a company technician brought in an engine to make the lights blink. The rest of the time we just practiced “unfolding” it.

Ivan: “Everyone served - grandfather, father, uncle, and I went. I do not support the opinion that the army is superfluous. I believe that this is necessary for development, one of the stages of becoming a man. Yes, of course, I can serve, but if we had to confront a professional army, it would be a short war.”

The opinions of former South Urals residents agree that the human factor plays the main role in adaptation to a new team. “Lucky with the officers - consider yourself alive,” the demobilizers joke. It is not the structure itself that frightens fledgling youths so much, but the closed male group into which they find themselves. Many people feel uncomfortable in such conditions. Those who have served in the army give advice to recruits and note that compliance with the required minimum rules and initial physical training is the key to “survival.”

Ivan: “You need to try to establish contact with people and be active. But the most important thing is to understand what you want to get from the army, to have some kind of goal. Everyone gets exactly what they expect.”

Nikolay: “There is no need to do things in the army that are not welcome, for example, there is no need to be “extinguished” from service. You have to do what everyone else is doing and follow the minimum rules.”

Vyacheslav: “You need to have a lot of patience and not complain.”

“Don’t bother your parents over trifles.” The first thing they recommend to new recruits is not to call their mother. “After mentioning a bruised knee in a telephone conversation, concerned parents can raise the whole company’s ears.”

“We had one guy,” says Nikolay, - he lost his phone and called his mother once a week from a friend’s mobile phone to tell him that everything was fine with him, then his friend was admitted to the hospital for a couple of weeks. Without waiting for an on-duty call from her son, the worried mother came to the company at the head of an entire delegation to make sure that nothing happened to her son.”

On the other hand, social activists assure that tragedies could have been avoided if loved ones had managed to respond in time to alarm signals coming from the army. The Yuzhnoural resident, who died in April 2016 while on duty, mentioned hazing on the part of the officer in a conversation with relatives.

Alexey Kovalev, lawyer, leader of the human rights organization “Legal Awareness”:

“You never know in advance. You just need to communicate with your children. You need to talk to them before joining the army, prepare them for service. At the same time, the service itself, of course, should be purely voluntary.”

It's hardest for closed people in the army. During conflict situations, you won’t complain to the officers, you won’t have any friends, and you don’t want to bother your mother. Failure to speak up can have tragic consequences. Deadly dramas have played out more than once.

Nikolay: “There were no suicides in our battalion, but in a neighboring brigade a young soldier hanged himself. I don’t know how it ended. I only heard that the reason was supposedly of a personal nature. But in another battalion, a suicide attempt was stopped - a guy tried to cut his hands with scissors, at least that’s what it looked like. He was stopped in time, then he was commissioned.”

Vyacheslav: “An officer in our division shot himself. They brought him along. In general, there were people who swallowed needles and cut their veins in order to stay in the hospital. There was also such a method of punishment - if some person set up the entire company, they did not talk to him for 1-2 weeks at all. It was very hard to take."

It is often impossible to foresee trouble: a year ago, a conscript from the Chelyabinsk region, who was serving in the Trekhgorny Closed Administrative Unit, was preparing for performances in honor of Victory Day.

Lawyer Alexey Kovalev sees the main problem in the fact that absolutely everyone is drafted into the army - according to the human rights activist, army service should be only voluntary.

“The bulk of recruits are not prepared - and the army rejects them. While the army should consist purely of professionals. There would be fewer problems and tragic incidents if the army were completely contract-based.”

The soldiers themselves share a similar opinion - either make the army completely contract-based, or create opportunities so that contract soldiers and conscripts serving together are separated.

It is worth noting that the state is slowly, but still moving in the direction of reforms: according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, already in 2015 the number of contract soldiers in the army was as close as possible to the number of conscripts.

They remember past and good moments. Most often, they are connected by simple joys, for example, delicious food: how in the company of colleagues they cooked pasta and stew in a field or found a jar of honey forgotten by one of the officers.

Soldiers whose service ended successfully eventually come to the conclusion that everything that happens to recruits in the army is “the hardships and deprivations of military life,” which the conscript must endure steadfastly.

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I wish you good health, dear readers of the Army blog: an inside look and those for whom this article will be the first on the site.

It's September 28th. There are exactly 3 days left before the start of the next military conscription. Conscription II - 2015 or autumn conscription 2015.

That is why a few days ago the idea came to me to write an article addressing conscripts. An article that will be most useful for everyone who is going to join the army.

Without water and unnecessary pictures. Naked facts and tips on what you need to do BEFORE and DURING the start of your service in order to spend the next 365 days at your best. So, my 10 tips for you, conscript.

1. Go through the final medical examination at the military registration and enlistment office and bring all the documents they need as soon as possible.

This advice applies to a lesser extent to those who are called up in a week, but it is still relevant even for those who will only be called up in December.

Guys, don’t wait for the moment when there is nowhere to sit at the military registration and enlistment office.

My experience shows that the closer the draft, the more people hang out at the military registration and enlistment office. Your task is to do everything quickly and in an organized manner.

If you approach the matter wisely, you can visit the military registration and enlistment office only 2 times before being drafted. That is, arrange everything you need in a few days. (Not for 2, because you will have to wait for test results at the clinic)

2. Learn to sew.

No, I'm not saying that you should sew a curtain or something else for your home with your own hands. But you must be able to sew on a button and sew up a hole if necessary.

If you don’t learn how to do this before the army, then the army will teach you itself. Just be prepared for the fact that before this you will receive a girlish nickname, and because of this your authority will not rise above the baseboard.

3. Change your attitude towards physical development.

If you are a professional athlete, then you can move on to the next point.

And if not... Congratulations. You are one of 90% of the people who surround me now.
They didn’t play sports, they don’t know how to do pull-ups, they only run every other time. And they smoke like locomotives.

So, what do you need to do so that after hearing these phrases in the army you don’t faint:

Switch to sleep mode 22.00-06.00 as early as possible

This will allow you to overcome the period of adaptation to the army as comfortably as possible. And you will get up in the morning cheerful and ready for the morning workout.

Run at least 1 kilometer in the morning

A kilometer is the minimum we ran in the mornings during the first weeks. Because in the company there were fatheads and scumbags, who by the end of our first circle were somewhere in the middle of the path.

If you don’t want to become one of those people who constantly stop your company, start running even before you are drafted.

Learn to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar

Ideally, 15 times. After all, in order to pass the physical training exam with excellent marks, we need to do 15 pull-ups.

And without this exam you will not get a junior sergeant. This is how we do it.

Switch to three meals a day

Before the draft, I ate 5-6 times a day every day. In the army I eat 3 meals. And no one will give you anything else to eat. Even your food.

In the first 3 days of service I lost 4 kilograms. This is not only because of food, but “thanks” to it too. I was very hungry.

Our schedule is as follows: 07.30 – breakfast. 14.30 - lunch. 18.30 - dinner.

I draw your attention to the long period of time between breakfast and lunch.

4. The day before the call, cut your hair as short as possible.

Yes, I know how hard it is. You now have beautiful hair, and then they tell you that you need to cut your hair to zero.

I left myself with 9mm of hair. But that's a lot. I was forced to cut my hair during the first days of my service.

The less hair you have, the later you will get your first haircut in the army. And this will be a plus for you, because in 2 weeks (depending on how your hair grows) you will already get the hang of it and can easily allocate time for this.

Otherwise - vanity, nerves, stress, screaming, panic. I've seen guys go through this.

IMPORTANT. For those who think: “Why spend money if they give you a free haircut in the army?”

In the army, your comrade will cut your hair. That is, a person you don’t know. Most likely, he will take a typewriter for the first time in his life. We had these.

When you first arrive at the unit with your hair, you will immediately attract negative attention from your superiors. 4 such people arrived with me in the team from St. Petersburg. They were publicly laughed at for about 10 minutes. Do you need it? Is 200 rubles a pity? It will take a long time to restore your reputation.

5. On the day of conscription, take your passport, license and diploma with you to the military registration and enlistment office.

You definitely have a passport. If you have the rest, take it. It may not be useful, but if so, then it will be easier to give it to your relatives (or send it from there by mail for free) than to then worry and think about where to store them in parts.

I included this as a separate item from the bonus because I made a mistake myself. The military registration and enlistment office clearly told me that a passport was not needed. The result is that my mother went home to get her passport. It’s good that I was drafted from the same place where I live. What if you are drafted from another locality?

Advice on preparing for service is over. Now some tips that will help you not get screwed at the beginning of your service.

6. Don’t open your mouth where you can remain silent.

It is very important. We have so many hackers who tried to break this law of the army.

My advice to you: if they are not talking to you, then just remain silent. Even if you think you're the smartest.

7. Listen carefully and remember everything that old-timers and commanders tell you.

Attentiveness is the key to success in the army. They won’t recommend you something that they haven’t gone through themselves. These will be the most valuable tips during your service. Even more valuable than mine.

Just don’t miss a single one, and based on what you hear, adjust your behavior model.

8. Analyze everything that happens around you.

This is what I “grew up” on in the army. I'm not saying that I became a "prison dad" here. I’m saying that thanks to this, during 3 months of service I was not given a single comment from my superiors.

I saw that your friend entered the sleeping area incorrectly - remember how he did it. He will be corrected until he gets it right. Did it right - remember that! All the mistakes, and most importantly - the correct options for requests/reports/execution of commands and everything else. You must remember and assimilate all this.

As they say at school and university: absorb like a sponge! It's the same here.

9. If you don’t know, ask someone who knows for sure.

Very important. Pay attention to the end of the sentence: “... from the one who knows.” Not from your fellow know-nothing, but from someone who knows for sure. From one's own or someone else's junior sergeant or officer.

It's better than following orders incorrectly and then hearing about how stupid you are.

10. Every evening before going to bed, wash your feet in cold water and with regular soap.

Unless you want to spend the entire service in the infirmary, of course. And there are plenty of them here!

If you are normal and want to make do with “minimal losses” in the first weeks, then follow this advice. Every day without exception.

Cold water. And only with authorized soap. It's magical, guys. There will be no calluses or there will be much less than there could be. At least you can walk.

All according to advice. Let's move on to the bonus that I already mentioned above.

BONUS

What to take with you to the army?

I want to take more of everything. Especially if your mother and grandmother are picking you up. But everything is impossible. And you don't need much either. Now I will explain why.

IMPORTANT. No glass, piercing or cutting objects. They will be taken away at the collection point, just as they took my aftershave gel, needles and something else.

IMPORTANT 2. I make it a separate point. NO MEDICATIONS. They will also be taken away immediately.

IMPORTANT 3. Pay special attention to the number of things I wrote about. If I wrote in the singular, it means you need to take exactly 1 piece. No more and no less. If you wrote 2 presses, that means 2 presses, not a pack. Anything extra will be taken away. And it’s not at all a fact that they will return...

All the tips and bonus described above are purely my thoughts and come from my own experience of three months of service in a battalion of junior specialists.

I know that each part has its own charter. But I assure you that I told you as close as possible to those parts where the charter is known and respected. I hope that the majority are like that. Our whole life is strictly according to the rules. Yes, not ideal. There are differences of opinion, but I can't imagine a part where the charter is loved and respected more than here.

Therefore, all of the above can be taken as “correct”. If you don’t agree with me, then at least agree that these tips and list of things will definitely not be superfluous.

P.S. I am addressing those who are already serving or have served literally for a year. Friends, if you have anything to add to my lists, feel free to write about it in the comments.

This article, like the “Conscripts” section, was created solely for the benefit of all those who are about to serve. But I believe that there is no such thing as too much benefit! So let’s connect, dear demobilizers and others.

P.P.S. You can also ask your questions in the comments. I will be happy to answer everything, everything, everything!

We wish you easy service,

Once in the army, a soldier is subject to a strict routine: there are regular morning and evening formations, group exercises and exercise classes, and even a certain time is allocated for relaxation hours while watching television programs. At the beginning of service, recruits are also worried about such a concept as hazing in the army. But whether it exists or not - everyone decides for himself... All this is the “skeleton” of army life and is strictly controlled by commanders, brought to the point of automatism.

Meanwhile, a soldier is still not a clockwork mechanism, and the character of any fighter is revealed in relationships with his own kind. “Getting accustomed” to the army also means establishing understanding with conscripts just like you. Anyone who doesn’t “take root” will become a victim.” army hazing" What kind of behavior is acceptable in the barracks will be discussed below.

How to join a new team?

First of all, you need to understand: leaders are not liked in any team, and older employees especially do not like them. Yes, and leaders are different: some are too “correct”, some are superior to others in sports training or studies, some immediately put a “barrier” between themselves and others. Any “barriers” in relationships separate a person from the group. In the army, you need to do the opposite - join the team, become part of it.

The more friends a soldier has from his conscription, the better. Mutual assistance, help, support of comrades is an indispensable condition for being considered one of their own. A separate conversation is eating. If you receive a package from home, share the products with your friends. Eating canned food alone is the first step towards hazing in the army. If you still don’t succeed in joining the team for some reason, or hazing has become a real nightmare, you should under no circumstances complain to higher command or write to your family about it, according to unspoken soldier rules. They will definitely find out about the complaint, and the letter may be read, and then the situation will become much more complicated. It is better to immediately contact the military prosecutor’s office with a complaint about hazing.

However, it must be remembered that there are different types of complaints. It’s one thing to complain about a presumptuous group of “grandfathers”, and quite another to complain directly about the commander who exhausts the soldiers with drills. It is the responsibility of any soldier to timely carry out the instructions of the higher command staff. Failure to comply with an order can result in severe punishment.

Cleaning and order are sacred

For example, one of the soldiers decides to refuse to clean the barracks: “Why me again?” “Me again” in the case of cleaning does not “roll”. Each soldier takes part in the cleaning in turn, because the barracks is a common home for conscripts, and both their well-being and mood depend on how clean it is. In addition, most simply will not understand your reluctance to clean: “We are cleaning, but are you something special?”

The situation is the opposite with cleaning toilets. If you mess up, cleaning the toilets is a common punishment. But if you were not punished, no one has the right to send a soldier to such cleaning. In general, any assignment that degrades human dignity is illegal. If someone considers himself “superior”, and enrolls another as a “slave” and teaches him, how to behave in the army, such a person must be put in his place. It is desirable, together with comrades, for the humiliated to feel the strong hand of mutual assistance.

What else can you be fined for? For sloppiness - first of all. Untidy appearance is the main reason for bullying. Bad foot odor is the same. Weak belt - note. If I didn’t understand the first time, I got it for misunderstanding.

If there are no comments about the soldier, they don’t touch him. Discipline and adherence to regulations in the army are valued above all else. A surefire way to avoid army hazing" - to be a good soldier.

Vyacheslav: “I received good physical training in the army. The army is such a catalyst for your abilities, an opportunity to test what you are really worth.”

Nikolay: “I had to leave the army as an electronic warfare station operator. I saw the equipment in action once in a year - it didn’t work, and for a report photograph, a company technician brought in an engine to make the lights blink. The rest of the time we just practiced “unfolding” it.

Ivan: “Everyone served - grandfather, father, uncle, and I went. I do not support the opinion that the army is superfluous. I believe that this is necessary for development, one of the stages of becoming a man. Yes, of course, I can serve, but if we had to confront a professional army, it would be a short war.”

Ivan: “You need to try to establish contact with people and be active. But the most important thing is to understand what you want to get from the army, to have some kind of goal. Everyone gets exactly what they expect.”

Nikolay: “There is no need to do things in the army that are not welcome, for example, there is no need to be “extinguished” from service. You have to do what everyone else is doing and follow the minimum rules.”

Vyacheslav: “You need to have a lot of patience and not complain.”