Russia: Protests are being held across Russia today demanding the resignation of defence minister Sergei Ivanov over his failure to stop an epidemic of hazing in the ranks of the army.
With deaths from bullying and suicide in Russia's armed forces now outstripping casualties in the Chechen war, protests planned in more than 40 cities will demand that Mr Ivanov should go.
The demonstrations coincide with the start of the spring draft, during which 124,000 youngsters are called up for the mostly conscript force.
Anger at the scale of bullying in the ranks began earlier this year after an 18-year-old recruit, Andrei Sychyov, was left so badly beaten by fellow recruits that his legs and testicles had to be amputated.
As public concern mounted, the chief military prosecutor announced earlier this year that more than 6,000 recruits were wounded by their comrades last year, with 2,600 men jailed in connection with the offences.
Just how many deaths are caused by bullying is a matter of dispute, with the Union of Soldiers' Mothers, a human rights organisation, claiming a figure of more than 300 either murdered or driven to suicide.
The army disputes this figure, saying many of these deaths are accidents, but commanders admit that bullying is a serious problem.
Against this tide of abuse, the defence ministry seems powerless.
Mr Ivanov, a career KGB officer, was put in charge of defence five years ago to implement radical reform. This he has failed to do.
Russia's armed forces remain a shadow of the former Red Army. Its few combat-ready units have been unable to subdue Chechen rebels in six years of war.
Pay is low and discipline shoddy and some recruits spend their time labouring in the fields or being rented out as free workers, with their commanders taking the profits.
Meanwhile accidents, such as fires last month (March) in an ammunition depot in Vladikavkaz, and the near-loss of a mini-submarine last year, have highlighted poor training standards.
While military service is in theory compulsory, the sons of the better off escape the draft either by becoming students or persuading doctors to sign medical deferments.
The soldiers' mothers are not the only ones complaining. Strengthening Russia's armed forces was one of the central planks of president Vladimir Putin's rise to power, and his failure to achieve this has been pounced on by Russia's fragmented opposition.
Mr Ivanov asked his critics this week to allow him more time to improve conditions and standards in the armed forces, saying it was impossible to fix things "with a magic wand".