Some Russian military traditions are holdovers from Czarist times — like the white cloth that soldiers still wrap around their feet instead of socks. Military service is still mandatory, though it lasts for two years, not for life as was the case for serfs.

Still, vicious bullying in the ranks and a brutal war in Chechnya make enlistment a scary prospect. Men between the ages of 18 and 27 are obliged to serve. This year, about 250,000 have been called up, in two drafts in the spring and autumn.

Thousands dodge conscription, some through medical or educational exemptions but mostly by bribing military officials, with some wealthier families paying up to $7,000 to exempt their sons. Those who do join the ranks are often from poorer backgrounds, with health or drug problems. The Russian army regularly complains about the "low quality" of recruits.

New conscripts face abuse and humiliation at the hands of older soldiers and officers, in what is commonly known as dedovshina, after the Russian word for grandfather. About 6,000 people fell victim to military abuse last year according to official data. In one case that shocked the nation, a soldier had his legs and genitals amputated earlier this year after having been beaten and tortured by fellow servicemen. His main tormentor was sentenced in September to four years in prison.

"They join as soldiers but become slaves," says Valentina Melnikova, head of the Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers, a leading advocate for soldiers' rights.

From 2008, conscription will be reduced to one year, but military officials say they will need to enlist twice as many draftees — around half a million per year.

VLADIMIR VELENGURIN got an inside look for this interactive photo gallery.

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