(15 Nov 1996) T/I: 11:23:28
Much has been written lately about how demoralized and impoverished the Russian army has become. The Russian navy, though it has gained less publicity, is just as depressed and equally broke. Moscow's once-mighty fleet has fallen into a shocking level of disarray. Living conditions for sailors at the Baltic Sea port of Baltiisk, not far from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, paint a pathetic portrait of life in the
Russian navy. More than 80 warships have been brought to Baltiisk from the former Soviet bases in the now-independent Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The mothballed ships have become make-shift housing for dozens of officers and their families. They live below deck in cramped, squalid conditions.
To the children, the ships, at first, are like a giant playground. But for their parents, who once held an esteemed place in Soviet society as members of the military, life onboard is an embarassment and insult.
The residents of the ships have not received their pay for several months. The navy says it is cash-strapped. Some officers have had to swallow their pride to keep from going hungry. They have even resorted to collecting handfuls of nettles from the fields of Baltiisk to turn into soup. Of course, there are a few moments where the navy feels like it used to. Once a month or so, the ships sail out to sea for a few rounds of target practice. But the marksmen are so out of shape that they often miss. For many sailors, their whole life is now missing the target.
SHOWS:
BALTIISK, NEAR KALININGRAD, RUSSIA RECENT
0.00 WS line of ships in harbour
0.06 MS Ship towing boat
0.14 WS ship in dock
0.20 WS naval children walk up gang plank and pass father waiting on deck
0.27 WS woman washing in bucket
0.31 upsot cello; boy playing as mother irons in background
0.37 CU shower head spurting water
0.40 Mother washes child under shower
0.42 WS Naval officer collecting nettles
0.46 CU nettles going into bag
0.48 WS officers in kitchen preparing nettle soup
0.51 CU hand stirring Nettle soup
0.54 EXT sailers scrubbing side of ship
0.57 WS sailor painting side of ship
1.00 SOT Naval Officer in Russian: "Here people still keep up their hopes for victory.. in spite of everything they serve and fulfil their military needs."
1.10 CU UPSOT officer over microphone
1.12 WS Navy men run through deck
1.14 WS Navy ship at sea
1.17 MS officers at telescope; sailors point to target
1.19 WS target in sea
1.21 MS Gun fires at target
1.23 guns fire misses target
1.31 Vision ends
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