Two weeks ago President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov signed a decree on the autumn draft and army discharge of conscripts who have completed military service.
Following this, some junior officers started extorting gifts and bribes from soldiers who are supposed to be discharged threatening to leave them at the military unit otherwise.
For example, the problem of bribe extortion is quite prevalent with border guards doing military service at the Turkmen-Afghan border. Parents of conscripts are aware of multiple exchange of gunfire at the border and are ready to pay to get their sons back home as soon as possible.
The most popular gift for master sergeants and lieutenants is a camouflage uniform and military boots made in Turkey or Russia. Commanding officers find out in advance which conscripts have relatives residing or studying in these countries in order to obtain a uniform.
Military uniforms are sold in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Currently one sees a large number of Turkmen nationals among customers.
A set of camouflage uniform (trousers and a jacket) costs 300 to 400 Turkish liras (roughly $39-$52). Leather boots are sold at 400 to 480 liras ($50-$60). A full uniform set costs around $100.
The uniform is sold without any identification marks and officers apply their own chevrons as specified in army regulations.
People use the services of the freight forwarder Cargo. It costs about $2 to ship a kilo of cargo and it takes a month until delivery. A package can be delivered within 3 to 5 days but $7 to $8 is charged for each kilo of cargo.