Russian army tackles 'Chechen syndrome'

Experience in Chechnya leaves many with problems

A new unit designed to help soldiers cope with the stresses of service life has been set up in the southern Russian.

The first of its kind in the country, this "psychological aid centre" aims to help both new recruits and soldiers already identified as suffering from post-traumatic stress - often referred to as "Chechen syndrome" by Russians.

The centre, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, is staffed by psychologists who operate a confidential telephone helpline for soldiers who need immediate help.

When you are in Chechnya, you are always reassessing your values

Psychologist Olesya Reva

Staff also run special courses to prepare servicemen for their return to civilian life and produce literature aimed at raising awareness of the problem of post-traumatic stress.

Leaflets produced by the centre explain how to recognise the problem and give information on where soldiers can obtain further assistance.

Those who attend courses at the unit undergo psychological tests and take part in exercises aimed at helping them to deal with the after-effects of traumatic experiences.

Classic symptoms

Olesya Reva, a worker at the centre, told Russian TV that many soldiers who had served in Chechnya exhibited the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

"They suffer disrupted sleep, for example, family problems, personal problems, alcoholism. When you are in Chechnya, you are always reassessing your values. You start to reassess many of the events in your life," Ms Reva said.

Staff from the centre have also undertaken field trips to Chechnya to give psychological counselling on the spot, and have called for a psychologist to be attached to every battalion.

The Russian armed forces have attracted a lot of negative publicity over the last few years as a result of the high incidence of suicide among soldiers. There have also been frequent reports of desertions and the bullying of conscripts.

However, the psychologists at the Rostov centre say that despite all this, much work still needs to be done to alter the public's perception of stress-related problems within the military.

Many Russians, it seems, still expect their soldiers to be uncomplaining cannon-fodder.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.