Russian soldier kills fellow troops in reprisal attack in Ukraine

The Garrison Military Court in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has ordered the arrest of a serviceman from Kamchatka who carried out a reprisal against his fellow soldiers in the combat zone in Ukraine.

The serviceman has been placed in custody for two months, the Court told Kommersant.

The incident occurred at a temporary deployment point of one of the military units. Under a fabricated pretext, the soldier threw a live grenade at his comrades and then opened fire on them with an assault rifle. As a result, two people were killed on the spot and a third sustained severe leg injuries. The armed serviceman then fled the base. Military police quickly located him, and during the arrest he resisted and fired at officers. He was wounded by return fire and subsequently detained.

According to law enforcement sources cited by the publication, the incident in the combat zone took place last year. The shooter is reportedly a 37-year-old sailor from one of Kamchatka’s military units.

Two criminal cases have been opened against the serviceman on charges of especially serious crimes, and the investigation is ongoing, the court said.

By Khagan Isayev