The main problem of any army: who are the deserters?

Desertion is a problem that has plagued humanity for thousands of years. In all countries and throughout all ages there were those who preferred their own good instead of the well-being of the Motherland. But such actions can lead to terrible consequences, especially during the war. So let's talk about who are the deserters. Where do they come from? And what punishment is due to violations of the military regulations?

Deserter: the meaning of the word

The word deserter itself originated from the French deserteur, which in translation means "traitor" or "traitor". In a broader sense, it is a person who left his unit or unit without permission in order to evade further military duty. In addition, persons who deliberately did not appear for urgent service are equated with deserters.

The first traitors

It is difficult to say when exactly the first deserters appeared. But most likely, this happened at a time when the army was not a voluntary choice, but an indisputable duty of every citizen. As for more accurate data, in ancient Egypt there were records of those who preferred to flee instead of a brave battle. For the sake of justice, we note that such soldiers were caught, and then cut off their tongues.

However, a clear line in who such deserters, put the ancient Romans. In their military empire, there were a number of laws providing for punishment for escaping from the army. At the same time, it was almost impossible to abscond from justice, since for the shelter of a negligent soldier could be sentenced to death. But the criminals themselves were not killed, they were branded and sent to fight in the front ranks, so that they could become a living shield for the others.

The Problem of Desertion

About all who were such deserters, knew all the peoples and estates. After all, such a problem can affect any army, regardless of its moral and physical training. The difference is only in the number of soldiers who are capable of succumbing to temptation. For example, the Vikings almost never fled the battlefield, as this contradicted their life beliefs. But the armies of small English lords, on the contrary, were unstable, because they consisted mostly of peasants and mercenaries.

However, what made the soldiers betray their homeland, knowing that they are in for a severe payoff? The truth is that a deserter in the army is afraid of two things: death and mockery. It is these two factors that often become key when a person makes the final choice. In order to better understand each of them, let's look at them separately.

Imaginary death is better than real

Since ancient times, a deserter is a synonym for the word "traitor". Therefore, it is not surprising that in many countries this punishment was very cruelly punished. Especially when it comes to martial law, when every soldier is worth its weight in gold. In such periods of history, life was paid for the escape. For example, it is not a secret for anyone that during the Second World War both Soviet and German troops could shoot those who broke their army duty without trial and investigation.

And yet the soldiers still ran away, sometimes even during the battle. Why did they do this, because the probability of dying was in that, and in another case. In truth, the blame for all the features of our psychology. The person realizes that the punishment for escape is severe, but it will come later, and here is the real threat that exists here and now. Therefore, on the battlefield, the weakest in the spirit prefer a delayed punishment, rather than a direct threat.

Bullying and ridicule

If everything is clear with a military situation, then why do soldiers desert in peacetime? The reasons can be many: unwillingness to be away from home, love, passion for freedom and so on. However, there are those who flee from abuse by their colleagues and superiors. And they are the overwhelming majority that desert in the modern army.

After all, a person can not long tolerate insults from other people, especially if he is constantly in an isolated society. Being subjected to ridicule, he sooner or later comes to the opinion that it is better to get a severe punishment from the law than to continue to endure this horror. The sad thing is that such treatment can not be eradicated, because there are always those who are stronger, and those who adapt to them.

Desertion in the Russian Army

In what kind of deserters have we sorted out. Now let's talk about how often they appear in the ranks of our army? So, according to data for 2014 on the territory of the Russian Federation, 93 criminal cases were instituted under art. 338 of the Criminal Code ("Desertion"). The punishment for such misconduct before the homeland is imprisonment for up to 7 years. If the soldier leaves the service with his weapons, the term can be extended to 10 years.

Clearly, the government clearly understands who are the deserters and that not all of them deserve such a severe sentence. Therefore, Art. 338 of the Criminal Code has a special amendment, which says that if a soldier is first involved in this article and he has weighty arguments to justify himself, then he can be forgiven for the violation of the law.