The old growing Russian Army tradition in assaulting and humiliating* new junior conscripts by highly experienced military personnel...

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-"Hey, rookie! Why didn't you polish our boots, make our beds, clean up the barracks or scrub the toilets?!..."

(In the Soviet army, organizational changes began in the late 1950s when commanders were deprived from command of their troops. It was superseded by the talkative political staff. In addition, former prisoners were drafted into the army. They brought the customs and rules of the Gulag into the military barracks.)

*Known as dedovshchina (grandfatherly reign) in Russian lingo, this form of ritualized hazing rose at its peak during the 1960s, when the standards of army recruits had to be lowered to bump up the numbers needed to maintain a military force and to act as reserves to replace the previous demoralized conscript army. Since most of the well-educated people of Russia were able to evade service, many of the new conscripts lack the sophisticated standards needed to run a specialized military force. Some were taken from prisons, who in turn brought the criminal rituals of torturous bullying into the military.

Under the new system, the Soviet army was divided into four different classes, which is determined by their length of military service: officers, non-commissioned officers, contracted personnel and new conscripts.

During the last six months of their 2- to 3-year service, the 'grandfather' (ded) soldier would order new recruits to perform various tasks, such as cleaning the barracks, taking care of the veteran's survival kit, and buy food or cigarettes from the canteen. Often times, the bullying officer or veteran soldier would confiscate any parcels and possessions from the recruits, and would be subject them to constant humiliation, brutal beatings, sexual torture and even rape. Unsurprisingly, these hazing rituals often lead to either serious injuries, death or break their psyche to the point of suicide.

Reference: "Soviets" by Danzig Baldaev & Sergei Vasiliev, pg 142