[article still incomplete, stay tuned]
Preface to the English version:
This text is a fairly loose translation of my article called “Practical Advice On Draft Evasion”. Due to the specific nature of the original text, which deals with current political situation in Russian Federation, the recommendations mentioned here are not necessarily relevant to the situation in other militaristic (fascist?) countries where army service is obligatory. Some facts and statements present in the original work are omitted here. However, I do hope that this information can prove useful to anyone who wishes to evade the draft, no matter what country they are from. My primary concern in translating this article is to give as many people as possible the perspective of oppression people suffer in Russia. I thank you for taking your time to read this text.
End of preface.
This article is not an in-depth discussion of army and aggressive militarism. I assume that during the course of your life, you’ve already had enough of the conscription hell to make up your mind against it. So right now what you need most is not theory, but the practical application of resistance against military campaign in order to save your life from this slaughterhouse. If you feel your situation is critical, I’ll do my best to help you with my knowledge and experience.
First and foremost, if you ever decide to dodge the conscription, DON’T LET YOURSELF GIVE UP. Stick with your ideas to the end. Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes. Losing hope will get you in trouble. And that’s where they want you to be, believe me. In times of relative safety from the draft, when the military doesn’t grind you to the bone yet – for example, you still haven’t received or signed a document ordering you to undergo the medical examination for the army service; or you are temporarily exempt from the draft due to studying in a university – during these times you must actively resist the military and patriotic propaganda. Stop playing computer games involving army simulation and all sorts of shootings (yes, I’m serious here). Don’t watch TV programmes that glorify patriotism and military service. Don’t read books and periodicals that speak supportive of the Russian army. You should cut off your communications with people who think that the draft is a good thing and minimize your interaction with TV and radio with their constant emphasis on “the inevitable” and “the real men”. Don’t listen to the patriotic songs and never watch any films about war and army, except those rare ones that clearly express their total disgust by it. Watching “The Green Elephant” by Svetlana Baskova can be a good thing, if you can ignore all that meme status behind it and instead take it seriously. Stop wearing camouflage clothes. Don’t celebrate patriotic “manly” holidays such as the 23rd of February, and never congratulate anyone with it. The same goes for the 9th of May (the Victory Day) – remember, the only “victors” in any war are politicians, all others suffer, regardless of their country and nationality. You must NEVER associate your whole life with a war. If you imagine life as a struggle, better perceive it as REVOLUTION – because anti-militarism doesn’t mean you can’t fight back! You should leave places and communities where army is actively discussed and endorsed. Even resorting to plugging your ears is okay, if no other option is available. Don’t be ashamed by such act. Better hear your inner voice, than the screams of a hostile, brainwashed crowd. I strongly discourage you from trying to endure those morbid nationalistic ideals, hoping that eventually you will learn to ignore them. You will succumb to it. Passiveness exposes you to the brainwashing mechanisms. You may think that your will is strong enough, but always be careful with the mass media – they often go to the extremes to make you comply. You are vulnerable, especially if you’re still young. Army is portrayed by Russian media as an “inescapable ordeal turning boys into men”. This alone can break even the most thick-skinned individual. Remember – mass media is a plaything and an instrument of the current government. All the information you hear on the news is a LIE, everything on the screen exists just to make you obey. And since our current government can be most mercifully described as complete assholes and pigs, they are all interested in creating as many slaves as their rudimentary conscience can bear. For that, they have a historical advantage of obligatory military recruitment in case of male slaves, thanks to the first Russian fascist and slaver Peter the “great”. Modern Russia, being a “crime capitalist” state, relies greatly on the military service as the primary source of profit – it’s a mistake to assume that with the fall of Soviet Union all the “dystopia” and “dedovshchina” ceased to exist. Like hell it did. Military service survived the 90s, because the bandits that took over the country found great use in such institution – all the fear and guilt before the superiors that is cultivated in the army proved to be extremely effective in all sorts of dirty businesses. The new era of “bandit corporations” brought about a nightmare of sadistic “Russian Management Culture” which relies almost entirely on the hordes of brainwashed “corporate soldiers”. A working man who served in the army is a spineless creature ready to follow orders, oblivious to his basic civil rights. He worships the Deity of Employer, who is ALWAYS right – even when calling the worker “ungrateful cattle”, pouring all sorts of swearing and screaming over him and beating him up. This is an ideal slave, the one any Western mega-corporation couldn’t have possibly dreamt of. Still, it is the Western chauvinism, like Call of Duty, that also brings about much of militaristic plague. Don’t forget that aforementioned hYstErical personality introduced military recruitment as a “gift” from abroad. So please set aside these tales about “Russian army”. There is no army. Our people aren’t born in military uniforms. Russian people, like any other people on this planet, ARE NOT BORN TO BE CANNON FODDER. Forget about Russian “soldiers of peace”. Take that bullshit about “protectors of women and children” out of your head and throw it into garbage can. No sane woman in her right mind would give up her husband, boyfriend or child to the military grind. No such woman would ever believe it’s for “her own and her country’s good”. Today Russia is one of those big players on the world map, who want everything under their power. It’s very naive to believe that “we only use our weapons for defence” like Power Rangers. There’s no “Russian people” proper – almost every culture and nation in this world has already merged with another as a result of history. It’s hard to understand what the nationalists are fighting for. The times when everyone knew each other and “protected their tribe” are long, long gone. How can one talk about “Russian values” when the whole governing party is actively trying to build American capitalism right under our feet? Our true culture and language are nearly dead, and all that is left is just a cheap imitation, used specifically to manipulate masses into consumerism. The loyalty of Russian patriots under these conditions looks pitiful. Every citizen of Russia, the USA or any other “big” country of today’s world has a lot of potential enemies INSIDE their own country, and a lot of potential allies OUTSIDE of it. Hence, SACRIFICING YOURSELF FOR YOUR COUNTRY MAKES NO SENSE. Every normal human being understands that, not just the anarchists. Every day the prices grow, hopes to get education, job and pensions are getting ruined – and with every such day there is more and more people convinced that their own country wants them dead. If you come from a family, where military service is endorsed and expected from you, you should seek help and protection from your friends and distant relatives. You should always have someone to rely on, someone to trust. Your relatives’ support and the right connections will lead you out of this nightmarish labyrinth. Other people you need most are a good doctor and a good lawyer. You may also make friends with someone who successfully evaded the draft – such people do exist, and not all of them are those rich bastards’ kids. These people can give you a helpful hint, and tell you how to act in a given situation. This can be a life-saver. If you yourself have managed to pull this off, help those others who are in need – there’s lots of them, everywhere, and it’s always a noble deed to save someone’s life with a good advice.
It’s no big secret to anyone who lives in Russia, that this country’s military life (if you can call THAT a life) is governed by the so-called “prison rules”. Indeed, army can be an absolute synonym of jail here. And every adult male in Russia is an automatic criminal and prisoner. It’s the high temple of chauvinism and hierarchy. Quite likely more so than anywhere else in this world. There is no use trying to find out any historical, political or social reason behind this phenomenon. What little is left from the truth is still being so thoroughly and methodically annihilated and distorted, that even scholars probably stay silent on the matter. Russian army was heavily criminalized long ago, and the situation only worsened since. It is a grave error to assume that with the fall of USSR the army magically ceased to be a traumatizing circus ride and became a happy brotherhood of manly friendship. This will never happen under current power for the reasons stated above, in the previous paragraph. They paint illusions that say otherwise, but the truth is, we are going to hell. The conscripted die like flies. And that’s despite the fact that there is no war. They die under the boots of their oppressive superiors and sadistic “comrades”. They freeze to death out in the cold. Or die slowly of pneumonia and tuberculosis later. They are beaten in the way that breaks them physically and mentally, yet leaves virtually no trace. Nobody, except their torturers and killers, hears their cries or sees the blood they spill “serving”. That’s because these deaths are almost never made known to the public. And the public often doesn’t care anyway, to be honest. ARMY EQUALS DEATH. Death must be avoided at all costs. Some may argue that one can survive there. Physically – yes. Maybe. But even that is unlikely. And even if you do – there wouldn’t be much point in living through the rest of your life with your soul torn apart. Those who are highly supportive of army “ordeals” often say that “It is a school of life”. Well. The consequences of this “schooling” are all around us. Alcoholics, drug addicts, wife-beaters. Imbeciles. Child molesters. Human shells. So much for the “Protectors of the Motherland”. Women and children often have to go to great lengths to save THEMSELVES from these “noble warriors” their country created for them. Now think a little. What is the virtue of courage? Is it courage when one yowls and bows to the orders yelled by the superiors? A courageous person has will to go against the flow and persist under pressure. RUSSIAN ARMY DOES NOT TEACH COURAGE. It is designed for only one purpose: TO BREAK YOU. Nobody in the army would ever agree that a man crying in public is times and times more courageous than a horde of soldiers raping a rookie in the toilet. All the “life ordeals” the army represents are ARTIFICIAL. All deaths in the military are caused by SOCIETY, not NATURE! Remember my previous article? Humanity, and only humanity itself is entirely responsible for creating such atrocity. This isn’t because “it’s the way life goes”. This is because SOMEBODY decided so. Somebody fascist. Don’t play along. It’s true that almost all the boys like plastic guns as toys. But that’s when it must stop. The sooner, the better.
The conscription hell begins well before reaching adulthood, so that the state can take full advantage of the young, inexperienced minds of its victims. A child may gain some degree of understanding and possibly begin to abhor the army as a result of talking with his parents about it and learning what to expect. Kids often witness their brothers and even fathers drafted, and, living in their own world, often remain oblivious to the fact that someday they too might fall prey to the same evil fate. Still, even at this stage a child’s acute intuition may give him a much needed warning sign. Regardless, after receiving the first draft card and undergoing the first draft-related medical examination, fear manifests itself. That very fear, accompanied by a strong feeling of revolt and insecurity, is a natural, healthy response of any normal person towards oppression and humiliation. This is the moment when you must start thinking carefully, and learn the way of active resistance. I find it unlikely that somebody might discover this text so early in their life, but still… Perhaps someone you know is exactly in this situation right now.
That first draft card is likely to be shoved into your face by your school Civil Defense (or “Health and Wellness”) teacher. This will happen by the time the courses start to take separate routes for girls and boys. I can guarantee that you won’t be expecting this. One day it will come and they will FORCE you to sign and fill in the fucking document. Quite possibly this procedure is specifically designed to instil the initial dread as you write your own name with your own hand, signing your very own death certificate. Remember that it’s just a piece of paper, hardly different from your usual toilet roll. The teacher’s intimidating presence probably won’t let you deny signing anything at this point. This trap is commonly avoided only by those children whose rich fathers and mothers have already taken care of the problem via bribes. I don’t know what happens if you magically fall sick the same day this happens, but you will likely just receive the card later at some point. In any case, don’t let go of your pride. This isn’t death sentence yet. If you can, fill the card with pencil instead of a pen. Make your handwriting as messy as possible. Try making a few “typos” in the “First/Last Name” field. Use a crazy pen color (pink, green, etc.) – aside from relaxing comical/mischief effect, there’s a slight possibility that the paper will actually become legally invalid, since colors other than blue or black aren’t typically allowed in documents. Even though all these measures aren’t quite “practically useful” yet, they can at least cheer you up a good deal. Notify your parents about what happened during that day. Let them know you need their support.
The first military medical examination can really fuck you up big time. All your dreams turn to ash when you see how doctors methodically assess the “quality grade” of your meat (if you are not familiar with the workings of the Russian system, just take this literally – there ARE actual grades – A, B and so on – from most to least eligible for military service…). You will be thrown into the sea of “real machos” of all kinds, who will undergo the humiliation together with you. These don’t care about their victim status, and actually enjoy their position, waiting for an opportunity to demonstrate their supremacy. Step softly and avoid confrontation with them. Stick to the normal people, or better – stick to yourself. Easier said than done, but try to visit the hospital when the crowd is smaller. Usually it means coming much later than the rest. If possible (connections with doctors etc.), put off the examination for another day. Virtually anyone will be more than happy to tell you that avoiding this examination entirely is a criminal offence according to Russian law. This is true, at least on paper – and it’s one of the best reasons to use Russian flag solely for wiping your ass.
Hospitals in provinces are the real hell – the corridors are small and tight, practically designed to make anyone claustrophobic and sheepish. But should I even be talking about hospitals? This country has a rather broad definition of “Medical Military Examination Stations” – which includes even centuries-old rotting barns and dressing rooms at stadiums. The conscripted can truly feel how much the country “loves” them – they are not even considered HUMAN a priori, therefore nobody is particularly inclined to letting the endless stream of “useless maggots” into normal hospitals where “so many people need real help”. And it doesn’t matter that this isn’t the boys’ fault in the first place. So you see, foreigner, this system even creates problems out of thin air, making hospitals face this pointless dilemma – treat a patient or examine a potential military recruit. And the choice is never obvious, especially in countryside, where hospitals are always understaffed.
Still, sometimes examinations happen in actual hospitals, since doctors aren’t really fond of going hell knows where to probe the poor kids, especially when the latter are going to die as cannon fodder soon anyway. Really, why all these examinations? Why not grab and kill off all of them right away?.. Luckily, not all the doctors feel this way. Some still have a bit of humanity left.