Russia military 'deeply corrupt'

A third of all money spent by the Russian government on its armed forces is lost to corruption, a senior Russian official has warned.

Aleksander Kanshin told reporters 16 generals and 180 colonels were prosecuted last year alone.

One of Russia's top military prosecutors has called for new laws to tackle an "explosion of corruption".

If Mr Kanshin's figures are correct, it would mean about $13bn is lost to military corruption annually.

Flow of money

Speaking in Moscow, Mr Kanshin said almost 600 senior military personnel were convicted last year.

He said that housing, allocating military hardware contracts, even obtaining a place for a child in an army-financed nursery, all depend on bribes.

Mr Kanshin questioned recent changes which, he claimed, were aimed more at controlling the flow of money, than resolving problems like poor army housing.

The recently appointed head of Russia's top military court, Major General Yuri Kilnichenko, told the government newspaper that corruption is deeply rooted in the upper echelons of the armed forces, especially in awarding tenders for equipment, food and medical services.

He called for Russia's nascent, national anti-corruption plan to have a specific, military chapter.

The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, has repeatedly spoken of the way corruption undermines the Russian state, and has pledged to curb it.

However, many Russian analysts have already questioned whether he will succeed.

Corruption in Russia, they point out, is about something far deeper than giving or taking bribes.

At its worst, it is about control over whole sectors of the economy and the political state machine.