Russia sacks general at base where conscript killed

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has sacked a general in charge of a space force base where a young conscript was beaten so badly by drunk officers that he died this week.

Two officers at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region of northern Russia beat Sergei Sinkonen with belts and threw him in a dog cage, local authority officials told Reuters.

Sinkonen died in hospital on Monday.

Defence Minister Sergei Serdyukov sacked General Konstantin Chmarov, who was acting head of the base when the incident happened, said Defence Ministry spokesman Vyacheslav Sedov.

"Due to the tragic events on the Plesetsk Cosmodrome which led to the death of soldier Sergei Sinkonen, Defence Minister Sergei Serdyukov has decided to punish officials for negligently carrying out their duties," Sedov said on Wednesday.

State television showed Sinkonen's funeral with weeping relatives laying flowers on his coffin. He was born in 1986.

Endemic bullying in the Russian army became a major political issue last year when doctors amputated the legs and genitals of a conscript who was bullied by fellow soldiers.

That caused deep embarrassment for then Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, who is widely expected to bid to replace President Vladimir Putin in 2008 when he steps down.