Four hundred and forty two soldiers died in non-combat situations in 2007, said the newspaper. Two hundred and twenty four of the non-combat deaths were suicides among draftees.

By comparison, 155 committed suicide in the US army in 2006, the paper reported, one and half times less than the Russian army the following year. The Russian army has around 1.1 million soldiers compared to 1.4 million in the US army.

The Russian army has an atrocious reputation for hazing. One human rights group estimated that half of the suicides in the army were due to brutal bullying by older soldiers.

In one violent incident, Andrei Sychyov, 19, had to have his legs and genitals amputated after being beaten at the end of 2005 by other soldiers in his barracks in the Ural mountains.

Injuries are also common, the paper reported. In January alone, 1,500 soldiers were seriously wounded in non-combat accidents. Twenty four thousand soldiers suffered serious wounds in 2007, the paper reported.

Accidents listed in the document include road accidents, mishandling of firearms and arguments between soldiers.

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