THE WAR ON CORRUPTION IN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY.

Russia’s deputy chief military prosecutor, Lt. Gen. Stanislav Gaveto, revealed yesterday that crimes involving corruption and embezzlement in the military had almost doubled over the past 3 years — to more than 6,000. Speaking at a conference devoted to that issue, he said that the prosecutor’s office is currently investigating more than 100 senior officers — including 20 generals — for such crimes. (Interfax, March 27) The previous day, President Boris Yeltsin had said that his overriding priority with regard to the armed forces was "to put an end to embezzlement of public funds, corruption, pilfering military hardware and various scams." (Interfax, March 26)

Chief Military Prosecutor Valentin Panichev was quoted yesterday as saying after the conference that everything was being stolen from the military — from socks to aircraft. He claimed that "the bacchanalia in the armed forces will continue for as long as the army feels abandoned." It seems, however, that Panichev himself might have been among the abandoned. Russian television reported the previous evening that he had submitted his resignation in the wake of a 3-month review of his office’s activities. ("Echo", March 26, RIA, March 27)

Foreign Ministers Baffled by "Proliferating" CIS Structures.