# In defence of Russia **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 6, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defence-of-russia/969166 "2022-08-06T00:49:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1548
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defence-of-russia/969166/1548 "2024-04-23T05:09:08Z")
American Russell Bentley had been fighting on the side of the Russians since 2014. A self-avowed communist, he joined Russian forces because he wanted to defeat Nazis in Ukraine. Russell was recently captured by Russian forces who suspected him of being a spy, raped, tortured, and then murdered. I was a little surprised, but it turns out sexual assault is pretty common in the Russian army even when they’re not at war. Then I learned about dedovshchina which is a custom of hazing involving the newer recruits being brutalized by the older recruits including sexual violence. If you’re a Russian soldier, there’s a good chance you’ve been raped by your fellow soldier and that you yourself have raped one. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defence-of-russia/969166)._