Russian soldier sues Chechen rebels

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2005-01-18 08:24am

Russian soldier sues Chechen rebels
Big News Network
Monday 17th January, 2005

A a retired soldier is suing Chechen rebels for disabling injuries he suffered, the Moscow Times reported Monday.

Gennady Uminsky told the newspaper fighters loyal to Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev trapped his unit in a building for three weeks while patrolling the Chechen capital. Only 50 of the 200 soldiers in the unit survived their three week siege. And last week, Uminsky filed suit against the rebel Chechen government for damages in an Oryol district court.

I know Basayev will laugh when he learns about this, and I will laugh with him over this idiocy, Uminsky, 38, told the Moscow Times by telephone from his hometown of Oryol.

Only 50 of the 200 troops in Uminsky's unit survived the three-week siege in August 1996. Uminsky was hospitalized in shellshock and with grenade shrapnel in both legs, and he spent a year recovering in various hospitals.

All he was entitled to was a monthly state pension of 3,000 rubles or $107.

Uminsky filed suit against the Defense Ministry in 2002. After two years of deliberation, the Oryol district court ruled that the ministry should compensate him with a lump sum of almost 1 million rubles ($34,000) and a monthly pension of $900.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-01-18 08:58am

Oh /please/. Heaven forbid that in a war, your enemy should try to blow your ass to kingdom come.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-01-18 09:11am

White Haven wrote:Oh /please/. Heaven forbid that in a war, your enemy should try to blow your ass to kingdom come.

He's seeking reparations that the enemy, who is defeated (theoretically) has to pay. To the victor go the spoils, as a general rule. So what's the problem? I'll be fucking piss if I went to war and got permanent disabilities from it after it ended. If my side won, I'll be hoping the beaten enemy pay me for my trouble.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-01-18 09:13am

[edit] That should read: "I would be fucking pissed" and "I would be hoping..."

I will be fucking piss? The hell is that?

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2005-01-18 09:42am

I understood from the OP that he is suing the rebel leaders, including Basayev. Good luck bringing them to court. If they are caught, a lawsuit from a disabled soldier are the least of their worries.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-01-18 09:45am

Reparations are paid from the defeated government to the victorious government. Lawsuits from casualties do /not/ qualify.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-01-18 09:57am

White Haven wrote:Reparations are paid from the defeated government to the victorious government. Lawsuits from casualties do /not/ qualify.

This is true. Strictly speaking, his gov't should be providing for him, who are in turn being provided the reparations from their defeated enemy. Still, as a general rule to the victor go the spoils. The guy wants money from the enemy; good luck to him (no chance he'll get it, so I don't know what he hopes to accomplish, perhaps this is little more than a publicity stunt?).

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-01-18 10:16am

Tie up the court system to the detriment of those with actual cases?

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-01-18 10:21am

White Haven wrote:Tie up the court system to the detriment of those with actual cases?

Maybe he feels he can't get justice from his own gov't and so he resorts to this publicity stunt, hoping people will become aware of his case? That's pretty much the only thing I can think of, which is in a positive light. Otherwise, yeah, what you said.

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » 2005-01-18 12:22pm

I guess winning the lawsuit would be small comfort if the Chechens prosecute him for illegal trespass, felony property destruction, and conspiracy to commit murder for every civilian that died in Grozny.

Or maybe he'd be better off not opening thet civilian courts can of worms?

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2005-01-18 06:18pm

How can troops illegally trespass on territory belonging to their own country? Sorry, but you have to do more than hoist a flag and claim independence.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2005-01-18 06:31pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:How can troops illegally trespass on territory belonging to their own country? Sorry, but you have to do more than hoist a flag and claim independence.

Indeed, the third criteria is to win.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2005-01-18 07:10pm

Stuart Mackey wrote:
Illuminatus Primus wrote:How can troops illegally trespass on territory belonging to their own country? Sorry, but you have to do more than hoist a flag and claim independence.
Indeed, the third criteria is to win.

It also helps if you're not a 'country' controlled by a crazed warlord wanted for drug and slavery charges among other things.

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » 2005-01-18 07:16pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Stuart Mackey wrote:
Illuminatus Primus wrote:How can troops illegally trespass on territory belonging to their own country? Sorry, but you have to do more than hoist a flag and claim independence.
Indeed, the third criteria is to win.
It also helps if you're not a 'country' controlled by a crazed warlord wanted for drug and slavery charges among other things.

That's practically a pre-requisite for entering politics in Afghanistan!

Post by **fgalkin** » 2005-01-19 09:10pm

Chmee wrote:I guess winning the lawsuit would be small comfort if the Chechens prosecute him for illegal trespass, felony property destruction, and conspiracy to commit murder for every civilian that died in Grozny.

Or maybe he'd be better off not opening thet civilian courts can of worms?

Except, of course, Grozny is still Russian property, so he could not be prosecuted for tresspassing, nor property destruction (although the people of Grozny could sue the Russian government). As for conspiracy to commit murder, unless you can prove that Russian troops were sent there to deliberatly kill civillians, that holds no weight.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin