MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax-AVN) - The rate of crimes committed by non-commissioned officers of the Russian Armed Forces has grown by 40% in 2007, Major General Alexander Devyatko, the head of a department of the Advocate General's Service, told the meeting of NCOs in Moscow on Wednesday.
"Since the year start as many as 979 junior commanders were sued, with the number of crimes committed by contract-service NCOs increased by 71%," he said.
The offences of sentry service account for a greater bulk of the crimes, as their number increased more than threefold. "The negative statistics of criminal offences by NCOs, including those who service under contracts, disrupts all efforts being taken by the military leadership to strengthen the Armed Forces," he emphasized.