Those officers who do remain tend to engage in practices that undermine the professionalism of the military, the very trait so necessary to ensure proficient command of the units. Officers either are compelled to seek secondary jobs outside the military or engage in illegal activities. Aside from the fact that combat effectiveness is diminished when officers have to spend much of their time thinking about how to raise money to feed their families rather than focusing on military matters, loyalty to the military as an institution is undermined as well. Crime Crime in the military is on the rise and further fuels concern over the security of nuclear weapons in Russia. From the top generals to the conscripts, crime is rampant.
Embezzlement is common and includes the sale of weapons, munitions and any other property.
Even honest officers condone the behavior because they often have no other means to pay their staff. Organized crime has penetrated the armed forces, and former army officers are apparently prominent in various mafia organizations as well. The Minister of Defense, Igor Sergeev, admitted that in 1997 roughly 18,000 officers were charged with criminal activity. The activities and behavior of senior officers have been particularly bad. They not only inappropriately use conscripts to build dachas for themselves, but have developed businesses where they profit by using conscripts to build dachas for others.