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Russian Soldier Caught Selling Plastic Explosives


The Russian military has been plagued by problems including corruption and bad conditions.
The Russian military has been plagued by problems including corruption and bad conditions.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian soldier has been detained for trying to sell plastic explosives used in the armor plating of tanks on a city street on the Pacific coast, RIA news agency reported.

Corruption and poor pay and conditions are notorious in the Russian army, and conscripts complain of bad housing, inedible food, and bullying by experienced troops.

The explosives the soldier was trying to sell are built into steel plates on some Russian tanks and are intended to detonate when hit by an incoming missile, reducing its effectiveness.

The conscript was detained on November 17 after trying to sell 750 grams of the explosive in the city of Komsomolsk-na-Amur, RIA reported, citing a source in the law enforcement agencies.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

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