Instant Alert: What it's like to be a conscript in the Russian military

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   What it's like to be a conscript in the Russian military by Mike Bird on Oct 29, 2015, 1:36 PM Advertisement Conscription has a long history in Russia. Hundreds of thousands of young Russian men are drafted into the country's military every year, a practice carried over from the Soviet Union-era and the Tsarist systems before that.  Russia is set apart by a bullying culture that's generally more extreme and widespread than in other militaries around the world.   It's a particularly brutal experience for those deployed during wartime, including Afghanistan in the 1980s, Chechnya in the 1990s, and currently the east of Ukraine. We pulled together pictures and information about what it's like to be a Russian conscript. Check it out in the slides below: SEE ALSO: Amazing photos from NATO's largest military exercise in over a decade Russia has a large military, with an active and reserve personnel of over 3 million. The country relies on conscription and each year hundreds of thousands of men between the ages of 18 and 27 are bound by law to join up. The length of service for conscripts is 12 months, cut from 24 months in 2006. The Russian government's eventual plan is to move from relying on conscripts to an increasingly professional military force. Training is 12 weeks long, but it's famously brutal. Major reform efforts began in the mid-2000s to replace a system which still resembled the Soviet Union's. But to outside eyes, the system for recruits seems eerily similar. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011