Quote Originally Posted by ibshambat View Post
The 5,000 recruits who die each year from it are 5,000 of Russia's best minds. Imagine the entire student body of Harvard slaughtered each year.
It's a big problem, and I know that you used this phrase to attract attention to it, but I can't help but mention that calling these recruits best minds of Russia is a bit of a stretch.

You do know that all students are exempt from military service as long as they are attending school, don't you? As well as those who have kids, and some other categories. So most recruits are those who droped out of school or who were unable to pass university exams, and who then failed (or refused) to use other convinient ways to avoid enrolling.
Some young men enroll because they want to (either because they think it's their duty or for other reasons), but these guys are not usually get harassed.