Whistleblower says Russian troops fed dog food

[xchrom]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/19/us-russia-troops-dogfood-idUSTRE74I4TH20110519

(Reuters) - Russian Interior Ministry troops were fed dog food earlier this year to save money, a former officer in the ministry said Thursday.

A rare whistleblower in Russia's expansive security forces, ex-Major Igor Matveyev said officers tried to cover up the scandal and other alleged wrongdoing at the Interior Ministry troops base where he served in the far east city of Vladivostok.

Matveyev, who served in Russia's wars against Chechen separatists in the 1990s, said he was ordered dismissed after posting a video on the Internet this month alleging widespread corruption in the Interior Ministry forces.

No one at the ministry's troop unit was immediately available to comment on his allegations.

[Brickbat]

1. Not surprising.

Widespread abuse and poor morale are the rule -- they're treated like dogs, might as well feed them like dogs, too.

[PDJane]

2. Another triumph for capitalism.

Yay for freedom and democracy.

[Taverner]

4. Well - they were treated worse under Stalin

At times they were told to steal food from the villages, who were already starving

[Blue_Tires]

3. Let's not give our American contractors any ideas...

[KamaAina]

5. So that's why they're called "dogfaces" and wear "dog tags"!

Sadly, this sort of thing is not uncommon nor confined to other countries. Google "embalmed beef" for an example.