Dedovshchina (Russian: дедовщи́на, lit. grandfatherism) is the informal system of subjection (see:hazing) of new junior conscripts, formerly to the Soviet Armed Forces and today to the Russian armed forces, Internal Troops, and (to a much lesser extent) FSB Border Guards, as well as the military forces of certain former Soviet Republics, to brutalization by the conscripts serving their last year of compulsory military service as well as NCOs and officers. Dedovshchina involves a spectrum of subordinating or humiliating activities performed by the junior ranks: from carrying out chores of the senior ranks to violent and sometimes lethal physical and psychological abuse, being not unlike an extremely vicious form of bullying or even torture. It is often cited as a major source of poor morale in the ranks. Often with the justification of maintaining authority, physical violence or psychological abuse can be applied to make “youth” to do certain fatigue duties. In many situations, hazing is in fact not the goal. Conscripts with "seniority" exploit their juniors to provide themselves with a more comfortable existence, and the violent aspects arise when juniors refuse to "follow traditions".There have been occasions where soldiers have been seriously injured. In extraordinary situations, there is a lethal outcome. Source
In its Chamber judgment in the case of Perevedentsevy v. Russia the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that Russian authorities failed to protect new recruit – found hanged during his military service – whose life had been at risk due to bullying in the army (violations of Article 2 (right to life and investigation) of the European Convention on Human Rights.The case concerned the death of a 19-year old conscript, Mikhail Perevedentsev, during his military service. His parents, the applicants in the case, do not believe that their son committed suicide, alleging that bullying – under a system called dedovshchina – in the army from more senior conscripts, including extortion, beatings and sleep deprivation, had to have played a part in his
death.