A Russian defense ministry official has come up with a novel way to try to attract young recruits to the armed services: a rap video praising Russia’s men and women in uniform.
In the rap, posted on the internet, Anton Gubankov rhymes about the Russian army’s pride and culture of service in front of a screen showing soldiers marching and on military maneuvers.
Later he adds that rudeness and cursing are not a part of that culture.
Following a decade of military spending cuts after the collapse of the soviet union in 1991, Russian president Vladimir Putin has been the driving force behind plans to spend 750 billion dollars through 2020 to upgrade Russia’s aging military.
Russia’s army, with roughly one million servicemen, is still largely reliant on soviet-era infrastructure and weaponry.
It continues to rely on conscription, despite Kremlin pledges to turn it fully professional.
Rights activists say brutal bullying has been rampant since the collapse of the soviet union, and the military has long been plagued by corruption.
The top military prosecutor said in 2011 that a fifth of the budget was stolen or embezzled.
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