“Nobody believes that Sasha hanged himself,” - says a close friend of Alexander. The guy spent six months in the educational unit in the Pecs. In letters to his relatives, he wrote that “ hazing is terrible, they take everything they can, ” but he reassured him that there was not long to wait - in the near future he was to be transferred to service in Slonim. On the evening of October 3, the soldier's mother was informed that her son. None of the relatives believe in suicide.
Sasha's friends say that he graduated from college in Pinsk, worked at a service station, helped his parents and planned to open his own business: "Two weeks before what happened, he said that he would come on leave, finish repairs in the kitchen of his parents, that is, he was preparing for his future life."
The guy is characterized as calm, balanced, he did not make spontaneous decisions.
“We started talking about suicides,- says the girlfriend of the deceased. - Sasha said that he did not understand such people, he said that you can always find a way out while a person is alive. "
The circumstances of Alexander's death also raise questions among relatives. He was found hanged in the basement where the household equipment was kept. His legs were tied, and a kind of bandage was wrapped around his eyes. Found his colleague, with whom the deceased had previously been treated in the medical unit. It is said that this guy kept a diary in English, but the notebook was found with the pages torn out.
It is known that the body of Alexander Korzhich was found a few days after his death. It turns out that no one from the authorities was interested in where the soldier was all this time. And this is at a secure facility!
It is also reported that during the service, Korzhich was in the medical unit. His relatives say that he had a fever and had heart problems. Even before the call-up, he was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, but still found fit. There is information that he was also diagnosed with a depressive episode, but Sasha's friends do not indicate details, they note that an examination by a psychiatrist in Borisov showed that he was healthy. Before serving in the army, he had no such problems.
Alexander's friends say that there were bruises on the guy's body - on the forehead and above the groin area, on the neck there is an even mark from a thin belt, while when hanging this mark usually shifts.
The Defense Ministry categorically refuses to comment on the incident until the end of the investigation. However, there is information that one of the deputy ministers came to Pechi after the tragedy to figure out what to do. Indeed, over the past six months, this is already the second death in the educational unit.
In March 2017, a 25-year-old soldier was found hanged, who managed to inform his parents about the hazing. The relatives addressed this question to the command, but no measures were taken. Whether the Ministry of Defense is conducting its own check, the department refused to answer.
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on the fact of hazing (part 3 of Art. 443 - violation of the statutory rules of relations between persons who are subject to the status of a serviceman, in the absence of relations of subordination, which entailed grave consequences).
While Alexander Korzhich was in Pechi, his mother regularly transferred money to him on a card.
“There have been more than a thousand rubles in total,- say relatives of the guy. - Mom was ready to give any money, if only her son was not beaten. Sasha said that sergeants collect something like a treasury. If you want to live in peace - pay, otherwise I will beat you, and you will clean the toilet with a toothbrush. Humiliated there constantly ".
It is known that money disappeared from the soldier's card. According to friends, it has already been established that the money was withdrawn by “higher ranking officers”. It is striking how impunity these people felt, given that it is not difficult to determine who and why withdraws money. The guy's mobile phone also disappeared.
The mother of the deceased soldier rushed to the unit as soon as she found out what had happened to her son. Friends who were next to her say that at first they did not even want to let her in. And when the time came to bury the guy, he was brought to the military unit of the cemetery in Pinsk.
“All those close to them were outraged, - says Sasha's friend. - The situation was so tense, the military stood with their heads bowed, afraid to say something. No one had any respect for them. Relatives insisted that Sasha be buried in the civilian part of the cemetery. A man was killed, so they also made a suicide. "
According to the girl, despite the difficult conditions of service, Alexander held on and even encouraged family and friends: “He said to his colleague:“ I am not a weak person, I will deal with everything ”. And he told us: "The wait is not long, they will soon be transferred to Slonim." You see, he was a believer, very fond of his parents. We do not believe that he could have killed himself. "
Alexander Korzhich was the only child in the family. His friends and family say they will seek justice in the case: "If we drop our hands, tomorrow they will find another hanged man in Pechi."
A criminal case on the basis of a crime under Part 3 of Art. 443 (Violation of the statutory rules of relations between persons who are subject to the status of a soldier, in the absence of relations of subordination, entailing grave consequences) of the Criminal Code.
We have collected for you the basic facts about the Stoves - what it is, who trains and commands there.
What are Ovens?
Stoves is a military town in Borisov, where the "72nd Guards Joint Training Center for the Training of Warrant Officers and Junior Specialists" is based. More than seven hundred cadets are trained here annually.
The center trains warrant officers in 23 specialties with a training period of 5 months and junior commanders and specialists in 81 specialties with a training period of 4 and 3 months.
Who is teaching?
In training units, many positions of teachers are occupied by reserve and retired officers. Moreover, most of them had previously served in Pecs, in fact, they connected their entire lives with this educational unit.
Often they retire with the rank of major from the position of commander of a training company and continue to work in the center, they are well aware of all the specifics of service in 72 OTC. Also, 72 OTC maintains close contacts with military commissariats; servicemen are invited to serve as part of the optimization of the armed forces.
The instructor of the driving cycle and technical training, Major of the Reserve Alexander Noda, sets a task for the ZIL-135LM driver-mechanic, Private Dmitry Pikun. Photo: vsr.mil.by Teachers - officers, warrant officers (and their families) - are guaranteed a "social package". For example, every year all graduate lieutenants are provided with housing in officers' hostels. In addition, apartment buildings are being built for them.
What does the 72nd OTC consist of?
The 72nd Guards Joint Training Center for the training of warrant officers and junior specialists consists of a number of units:
- 114 guards school for the training of warrant officers and food service specialists. Chief - Guard Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Mazeichik.
The head of the Guard lesson, Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Mazeichik, and the commander of the training company of the Guard, Major Alexei Perov, at the command post of the vododrome. Photo: vsr.mil.by - 3 guards school for training specialists of tank and artillery units. Chief - Guard Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Chernov.
- 59 school for training specialists in the operation of automotive equipment and repair units. The commander is Lieutenant Colonel Eduard Nikulcha.
- 12th school for training specialists of communication units. Chief - Lieutenant Colonel Valery Romanovsky.
- School No. 320 for training specialists for motorized rifle, reconnaissance, engineering troops and radiation, chemical and biological protection troops. Chief - Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Zikratyev.
- 307 guards school for training specialists of motorized rifle and mobile units. Chief - Guard Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Molchanov.
- Technical support center. Head - Colonel Vitaly Baransky.
- 495 separate battalion of material support. Chief - Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Tsirul.
- 197 separate battalion of protection and service. The commander is Major Alexey Pytel.
How is the preparation going?
Before starting to train on real military equipment, military personnel undergo training on simulators. The 72nd OTC is armed with more than 50 different training equipment. Simulators, computer classes with the necessary training, testing and accompanying programs are used.
TV-543. Photo: vsr.mil.by For example, the TV-543 training complex, developed by Belarusian and Russian specialists, is designed to train and maintain the driving skills of driver-mechanics of a multi-axle wheeled tractor based on MAZ-543.
To train the BMP-2 driver-mechanics to drive in different weather conditions, the Belarusian TV-675 training complex is used.
Cadets are constantly busy, a little free time is devoted to self-training, and conscripts also wear outfits.
What do they do besides combat training?
The personnel of 72 OTC actively participate in the harvesting campaign, for which the center's automotive equipment is involved.
The commander of the consolidated automobile platoon of the 72nd Guards Joint Training Center for the training of warrant officers and junior specialists of the Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Kobrinets, said: “It makes no difference for us what is in the back of the cars: ammunition or crops ... We will deliver everything safe and sound.” In addition to transporting crops, the military prepared haylage, transported compound feed, and other cargo. On average, an army driver transports 45 to 50 tons of grain and other agricultural goods per day.
Also on the territory of the unit during the summer period there is a two-shift sports-patriotic camp "Defender of the Fatherland" of round-the-clock stay for children from large and low-income families of Borisov and Kopyl districts.
Another day camp was organized for the students of the sponsored school No. 7 in the city of Borisov.
Where did the deceased serve?
Alexander Korzhich, whose body was found with his legs tied in the basement of a medical company, ended up in training at VCh 43 064. This number is the 3rd guards school for training specialists of tank and artillery units of the 72nd guards joint training center for the training of warrant officers and junior specialists.
In the same department on September 4, 2013 18-year-old Vladislav Yagodkin. In the evening of August 31, Vladislav Yagodkin went to the first-aid post with complaints of high blood pressure. The paramedic and the doctor helped him. Vladislav went to bed, and early in the morning he felt bad again. He was taken to the first-aid post, helped, but this time the soldier could not be saved
Who is in command in the Pecs?
The head of the 72nd Guards Joint Training Center is Guards Colonel Konstantin Chernetsky.
By the way, he was the commander of the very first company of the guard of honor of the Armed Forces of Belarus. Prior to his appointment at 72 OTC, he held the position of head of the faculty for training foreign military personnel of the Military Academy - deputy head of the academy (for international cooperation).
The terrible details of the murder of a conscript soldier Alexander Korzhich in a military unit in Borisov Pechi became known - he was found hanged with his legs tied, numerous bruises were found on his body, and 900 rubles "disappeared" from his bank card in 4 months.
On October 3, Aleksandr Korzhich was allegedly found hanged in a military unit near Borisov, where he was doing military service. According to the official version, he committed suicide. The journalists talked with Sergei Dyatl, a close friend and husband of the deceased's cousin.
The editorial office of Radio Svaboda has photographs of Alexander's body. They clearly show large hematomas on the head and body.
Sergey said that he did not believe in the official version, like all of Alexander's friends. They collect all possible evidence that Alexander Korzhich was not going to lay hands on himself, as well as facts that there was "hazing" in his unit.
On Monday, October 9, friends of the deceased will go to the Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office to seek a proper investigation.
As Sergei Dyatel said, before the army, Alexander Korzhich worked at a service station, repairing cars. According to Sergei, Alexander was very fond of cars and was well versed in them. Before leaving for the army, he sold his car in order to buy another on his return.
Alexander Korzhich was the only child in the family, the closest, apart from his parents, was a cousin, with whose husband, Sergei Dyatl, the journalists talked.
Two weeks before his death, he promised his mother to come on leave
“He was constantly given deferrals from the army, he had heart problems. And the last time they issued a summons, they were found fit. He said that he would not run, he would serve this one and a half years, and there would be no problems.
Before joining the army, he began repairs in the apartment, installed a new kitchen ... And two weeks before his death he called his mother and said that he was promised a dismissal for 3 days, that he would come and finish the slopes on the windows.
In recent years, I have become closer to him, he has become more mature, he helped everyone, who turned to him, and helped me. He never refused anyone. You have to go somewhere even at night - no problem. "
Money was withdrawn from the card of Alexander Korzhich during his service in different cities
“When he went to the army, he took his bank card with him. It had about 500 rubles. Everything became clear because this bank card was tied to his iPhone, which he left with a friend before leaving for the army. In the application on the phone, it was clear that everything was removed and removed from this card, and, in principle, now this can already be fully tracked. Withdrawal of money took place in different places - in Zhodino, and in "Borisov-Arena", and in Minsk.
Later it turned out that all the time money was transferred to him - relatives and friends. He called and asked someone for 30 rubles, someone for 50. But at that time no one knew that so many of them were being transferred. He had 500 rubles on the card, and about 400 more were sketched by friends. Well, somewhere around 900 rubles in 4 months "went away" from him.
Later, other soldiers told us that a day's stay in this unit, so that you would not be beaten, "cost" 15 rubles. This money needs to be paid to the sergeants. Where this money goes further, nobody knows. It does not fit in my head that this can be so.
When my mother went to him, he told her that they were extorting money. I did not speak about physical violence. Everything seemed to be fine, but the last two weeks before his death, he stopped calling at all. And if he did, then on some other people's phones. After they found him dead, he had no phone on him. And his phone was with one of the sergeants. The commander told me this when we were talking. In correspondence with friends, he said that he had 4 weeks left before being transferred to Slonim, said that he would endure these 4 weeks and transfer from there. "
"They couldn't find him"
“They could not find him, he disappeared, and they searched for him for 5 days in part. On September 26, he was discharged from the medrota, and his death was reported on October 3. We asked the question why we had not informed our relatives all these days, we were told that in the medical department they thought that he was already in the unit, and in the unit they thought that he was still in the medical department.
They didn't want to show us the body. When we arrived in Borisov, the first question we were asked was "how did you get there so quickly?" We covered 410 kilometers in three hours. Mom got a call at about 21.40, she called us, his friends arrived, and we left in about thirty minutes. And we arrived at 2.30 am. They weren't expecting us. They knew that Sasha's father did not live with his mother, they knew that mother was alone.
We were invited by one of the commanders. Everyone looked down. Nobody explained anything. We were told that you should go home, we will bring him. We objected that we would not leave until they showed him to us. At night we were not shown either it or the place, they say, the Investigative Committee is working. We spent the night in Borisov and demanded in the morning to be shown him. We were shown it only at 17 o'clock. "
What is "dog death"?
“He has a bruise on his head, and some incomprehensible thin holes, as if they were stabbing him with an awl or something.
An anonymous soldier told us that he was found hanged with his legs tied and that there was something like a balaclava on his head - they call it "death of a dog." A belt is thrown, which tightens around the neck, but it is impossible to stretch it, because such a mechanism is there.
I myself am a doctor, when they showed him, the first question to the forensic physician was why there was such a strangulation groove. When a person hangs himself, it cannot be the same all over the circle. If a person is strangled, he has a completed strangulation groove. And if a person is hanged, it appears more in the front, and less in the back, because the pressure from behind is less.
Then, when we asked the investigator to explain what had happened, he replied that there was nothing to explain here - it was suicide. ”
"Not the first time"
“This is not the first time in this part of the year. And now the mothers of the guys who died before are calling my wife. And all - one to one.
The boy, who died before Alexander, called his parents shortly, told them about his situation, his father called the head of the unit, threatened that if they didn’t figure it out, he would turn to the prosecutor’s office. Two hours later, the son called back that the issues were settled, everything was fine. And 12 hours later, his parents were called and told that he hanged himself.
When the funeral took place, the military also came here. Sasha's friends began to gather, and when there was no place to park in the yard, there were about a hundred people, the police arrived and stood between the military and the people. They were very afraid that there would be lynching.
Mom is a simple person, she hardly understands how to achieve justice. She now has only one goal - for Sasha to be sung. After all, no one wanted to sing the funeral service. And me and Sasha's friends - we will be investigating. "
The whole city speaks about what happened in the 72nd military training unit in Pechi near Borisov, 400 km from Pinsk (Brest region, Belarus). On October 3, in a unit that was once known throughout the USSR for hazing, they found a 21-year-old conscript in the noose, Pinchanin Alexander Korzhich... How many soldiers hung dead in the basement of the medical unit, it will become clear only two weeks later, when the examination ends: Sasha stopped answering calls from friends and relatives on September 26.
Sasha Korzhich is the second conscript soldier found hanged in a military unit near Borisov in six months. The investigation into the circumstances of the death of the first soldier, Artyom Bastyuk, continues to this day. The Ministry of Defense of Belarus refuses to comment “for ethical reasons” and insists that in both cases it is a question of suicide. Conscripts who came to the army after school or college serve in Belarus for a year and a half. Korzhich was trained at the 72nd Guards Joint Training Center. He died three weeks before being sent to another military unit - near Slonim.
Then, on September 26, someone withdrew money from Sasha Korzhich's bank card for the last time. In August and September, the soldier's family and friends transferred at least 200 rubles to it. Svetlana Nikolaevna, Sasha's mom, shows us receipts from Priorbank. August 3 - 50 rubles, August 8 - another 50 rubles. Where and how did this money dissolve?
"If someone, before Sasha left for the army, told me that you have to pay 15 rubles a day for his life[about this unofficial “dachshund” one of his colleagues told Korzhich's friends. - Euroradio] , I would have found this money. I would take a loan ... - sighs Svetlana Nikolaevna. - He had $ 500 set aside for a car. I say: "Sasha, here is this money in front of me, lying on the table, if necessary, I'll bring it to you." He replies: "Don't, mom, I can handle it."
But it was getting harder and harder to cope with each day. According to the calculations of the soldier's mother, he received about 500 rubles a month from her and from friends.
“Somewhere on July 10, Sasha said that the sergeant took his bank card from him. They say that a soldier is not given a card, but if he needs something, he can ask for it and it will be bought. Sasha asked me to follow where the money goes from his card - tells Ilya, the best friend of Sasha Korzhich, who worked with him in the same auto repair shop. - I then took screenshots from Internet banking. There are purchases in the Voin cafe.[on the territory of the 72nd training center. - Euroradio] and “Zvezda”, and two consecutive withdrawals from an ATM for 10 rubles. All this time the card was in the hands of the sergeant. "
Now there is one ruble left on Sasha Korzhich's bank card. Yes, such an amount cannot be withdrawn through an ATM, at least five rubles.
There are many fresh graves at the new city cemetery 11 km from Pinsk, Sasha's grave - 30 sector, 15 row, 20 place. “On the day of the funeral there was such a wind that the candles were immediately extinguished, -recalls Ilya. - Many military men came from Borisov by bus. I don’t think these are Sasha’s colleagues. We asked them about him, and they answered with the usual phrases: "He was a good guy ...". He was buried with honors, there was even a volley into the air. And then we learned that when soldiers go on such a mission, they are not fed at all. And Sasha's cousin, Violetta, ran to buy them cookies. ”
Ilya and Sasha were best friends. Photo from "VKontakte".
The priest refused to serve Sasha's funeral service. In his death certificate, in the column “Cause of death” the code T71 is indicated: “Strangulation asphyxia”. This means strangulation by crushing. Such a conclusion does not give clarity: the person hanged himself or was hanged. And the Church considers suicides to be sinners unworthy of a funeral service. And it requires proof that the person died a natural death or was killed. But Sasha's relatives have no proof. There are only versions of what happened in the 72nd "training" in Pechi.
Version 1. Staged suicide to hide the bullying
In the unit where Sasha served, there are two sergeants: B. and S., let's call them that. They say that these two are afraid of everyone who ends up in the joint training center for the training of warrant officers and junior commanders in Pecs. The soldiers spend only three months in "training", after which they are assigned to the place of further service. S. is described as more sane, but B., who is also called “Baran”, this time is enough to humiliate the conscript, take away his money and things and subjugate his will. Sasha Korzhich's friends were told about this by the soldiers who served in the Pecs.
When Sasha's relatives were shown his body (they arrived at the Stoves on the night of October 4, and waited the whole day for the body to be “ready”), they drew attention to the bruises, which were interpreted as the result of beatings, and to the trail of the rope on the guy's neck. The track is thick, two fingers wide, and perfectly even - as if the rope did not slide along the neck of the suicide, but squeezed the neck of the man who was already dead in the loop.
Souvenir badge of the military unit where Alexander Korzhich served, and the badge of the 72nd Guards Joint Training Center in Pecs. Photo: "VKontakte".
We will not show you a photo of the dead Sasha Korzhich. They convince the boy's family and friends that he was killed. However, the pathologist, with whom ERB consulted, asserts that it is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion about a person's life or posthumous placement in a noose based on external signs. To do this, it is necessary to examine under a microscope the nerve and soft tissues of the deceased, taken at an autopsy.
However, the UK opened a criminal case for hazing. In addition to using Sasha Korzhich's card, B. and S. may be guilty of appropriating the smartphone of a deceased soldier. One of the officers of the training center told Sasha's mom that he sold his HTC One for ... 30 rubles, because "Badly in need of money"... Recall, according to my mother's calculations, Sasha was sent up to 500 rubles a month at that moment. The soldier's friends are told that the phone has not yet been found, although it is easy to figure it out by IMEI.
What did the conscript spend hundreds of rubles on without leaving the military town? Was he killed to hide the answer to this question? The investigation will have to figure it out.
Version 2. Suicide of a desperate soldier
Sasha Korzhich joined the army because he did not want to “mow”. “He had many plans for life. Return after the army and buy yourself a car. Sasha did repairs at home. A positive young man, interested in cars. He loved to climb in engines, to dig deeper into electronics. A month after he came to our service station, he was already working independently, and not as a student. It was his hobby, work and life ”, - tells Sergey Kozubovsky, director of Pinsk Avtoshans LLC, where Sasha worked. He does not believe that a cheerful young man could commit suicide.
Sergey Kozubovsky
Sasha did not tell his friends about the problems in the unit. I just asked from time to time to transfer money to the card. And at the end of July he began to say that they should not come to him - they say, it remains to hold out quite a bit, and there will be a transfer to Slonim. But he confessed something to his mother.
“He said that at night the sergeants bring women to the barracks and arrange orgies in front of the soldiers, so that everyone would watch their“ exploits ”, - tells Svetlana Nikolaevna. “He said that they put a“ collar ”on soldiers - a collar with needles - and make them do dirty work, clean toilets all night. But he always added that he was fine. Now I think he paid off while there was money. "
Now - a resonant event. The facts related to the death of private Alexander Korzhich in a military unit in Pechi must be studied to the smallest detail. None of the guilty will escape responsibility - this is the tough position of President Lukashenko.
On Friday, the head of state held a meeting with security officials; a number of criminal cases and operational investigative materials were also considered against some leaders of the republican and local levels. The heads of the operational and analytical center of the Republic of Belarus were dismissed from their posts by the decision of the President in connection with claims to their work on the part of the commission created on behalf of the President.
September 26, 10.30 am a military unit in Pechi. Private Alexander Korzhich gets to the first-aid post ... and disappears. What happened to the guy is unknown. And only on October 3, a body was found in the basement of the medical company. Now the Investigative Committee is considering 3 versions and immediately initiated 2 criminal cases.
Sergey Kabakovich, official representative of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus:
The following versions are considered.
The first is driving Private Korzhich to suicide as a result of hazing with military personnel - violence, bullying, extortion or taking away from him personal items, money or property.
The second is the murder of Private Korzhich on the basis of personal hostile relationships, out of selfish motives, due to the possession of information that compromises other military personnel.
The third is the suicide of Private Korzhich due to psychological trauma.
It is known that the position of the President on this issue is so tough that none of the guilty will escape responsibility. This case is under the personal control of the head of state; the progress of the investigation is reported to him several times a day.
Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:
Today I would like to talk and discuss the problems of individual offenses in our country in this composition, including at the highest level, including those related to corruption. And, before making any decisions, I would like to hear these problems and answers to questions concerning these problems from even some of those present here. I simply promised in due time that we would meet in such a composition so that there would be no all sorts of rumors and fabrications. And I stress once again, before making decisions, I am ready to listen to the position, if necessary, of everyone.
As a result of the meeting the day before, the President made a number of personnel decisions, including the dismissal of the leadership of the operational analytical center pending the end of the investigation. The check was carried out by the Ministry of Defense, where personnel decisions were also made in this case.
Vladimir Makarov, Head of Information Department - Press Secretary of the Chief department of Ideological Work of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus:
By order of the Minister of Defense, 5 officials of the 72nd Joint Training Center were removed from their posts, 4 officials were dismissed from the Armed Forces.
In the case of the death of Alexander Korzhich, there are still many questions, and a lot of information that is simply hard to believe.
Sergey Kabakovich:
On the part of the commanders of the departments, there were facts of abuse of power, expressed in the acceptance of funds from conscripts for an unlimited time using telephone sets. A decision was made to initiate a criminal case against the foreman of the said company - a warrant officer who, abusing Korzhich's trust, stole from his bank payment card funds in the amount of at least 180 rubles.
The commander of the military unit where Aleksandr Korzhich served has already been dismissed, ensigns and sergeants who could face up to 12 years in prison have been detained. But Alexander was only 21 years old, and his life was cut short.