It consists of brutalization by more senior conscripts, NCOs , and officers. It is a form of non- statutory dominant-status relations between military personnel ; the most common form of non-statutory relations, which is a violation of the statutory rules of relations between conscripts, based on the informal hierarchical division of soldiers and sergeants by enlistment and length of service.
The cultural basis of Dedovshchina is made up of traditions, customs and rituals that are passed down from conscript to conscript. Often but not always , these traditions and rituals are associated with the humiliation of the honor and dignity of servicemen of the later conscription by servicemen of the earlier conscription. Dedovshchina encompasses a variety of subordinating and humiliating activities undertaken by the junior ranks, from doing the chores of the senior ranks, to violent and sometimes deadly physical and psychological abuse , not unlike an extremely vicious form of bullying or torture , including sexual torture and anal rape.
Thus, it can literally be translated as " rule of the grandfathers ". This is essentially a folk system of seniority based on stage of service, mostly not backed by code or law, which only grants seniority to conscripts promoted to various sergeant and yefreitor ranks.
Non-statutory relations are a broader concept than dedovshchina. Non-statutory relations include the entire range of relationships between servicemen that are not described in the general military regulations including the relationship between a superior and a subordinate, a subordinate and a superior. Dedovshchina in its narrowest sense covers only those violations of regulations that are related to the relationship between senior and junior enlisted personnel.
In addition, the modern science of criminal and administrative law distinguishes between crimes committed within the framework of the so-called dedovshchina and "barracks hooliganism ". In the first case, the intention of the offender is aimed at asserting his status as an old soldier, forcing a young soldier to perform household chores, performing certain rituals related to the " dedovshchina traditions", etc.
