59 Soviet Officers Killed Last Year in Murder Wave
In an unprecedented wave of murders, 59 Soviet military officers ranging in rank from lieutenant to general were slain last year, a military affairs newsletter said Monday.
The newsletter, published by the respected Jane’s Information Group, said the murders “appear to be part of the current move of antipathy felt toward the armed forces, particularly among younger age groups in ethnic regions.”
By way of contrast, it said that in 1988 two Soviet officers were murdered and in 1987 just one.
“Very few (of the murders) have been solved,” and Soviet authorities are disturbed that local law enforcement agencies “are either incapable of or not interested in carrying out any proper line of inquiry,” the newsletter said.
It cited the case of Lt. Igor Kholostyakov, stabbed 14 times while returning to his unit one night.
“In the case of Lt. Kholostyakov, the police official arrived to ‘survey the scene’ . . . that was nine months ago; since then, nothing further has been done to bring the murderer(s) to justice,” the report said.
It said a special section has been set up in the top military prosecutor’s office to work with local police and law offices. New security guidelines are being drawn up to protect military personnel.
The murders come against a backdrop of rapidly rising crime in the Soviet Union and ethnic unrest in various republics.
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