Tragic Incident in Moscow: Soldier Takes Comrades Life Before Committing Suicide

A Russian soldier fatally shot a fellow serviceman before taking his own life in the Moscow region overnight, the military announced on Friday.

According to the Defense Ministry’s Moscow Military District, state news agencies reported that «the serviceman disregarded safety protocols for weapon handling and fatally wounded a contract soldier while assigned to a watch post.»

A commission from the Aerospace Forces has been dispatched to the location to investigate the event as part of a newly initiated criminal inquiry.

Earlier reports indicated that as many as five individuals may have sustained injuries in the incident.

Ren TV, citing a confidential source, reported that one of the injured soldiers reached out to his mother, prompting her to contact emergency services and law enforcement at the unit. This soldier is reportedly in critical condition in a hospital.

The pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia, also quoting an anonymous source, stated that the shooting occurred in the southwestern Moscow suburb of Naro-Fominsk, which is located 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the capital.

Both sources indicated that the shooter was a conscript, though no motive for the shooting has been disclosed.

The identities and ranks of both the shooter and the victim have not been revealed.

Official sources have not confirmed the casualty numbers or the specific military unit involved.

Independent media highlighted that Naro-Fominsk is home to an anti-aircraft missile brigade within the Russian Ground Forces, as well as training units for recently drafted conscripts who are later assigned to various Aerospace Forces divisions.

Incidents of gun violence at Russian military installations are not unusual, as the military has long been affected by issues of bullying and hazing.

Russian military officials deny allegations of an ingrained culture of hazing and assert that they have eliminated the bullying practices that had persisted for decades.

In 2019, a 19-year-old conscript opened fire at a military facility in Siberia, resulting in the deaths of eight soldiers, including two officers.

He received a 24-year prison sentence and described his military experience as «hell,» claiming he had faced regular mistreatment.

Since launching its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has significantly increased the size of its military.

The country has enlisted hundreds of thousands of contract soldiers, boosting salaries and offering substantial signing bonuses.

In addition, Moscow forcibly drafted approximately 300,000 reservists in the autumn of 2022 following challenges faced by its troops in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin stated last month that over 700,000 Russian soldiers are currently engaged in combat in Ukraine.

Reporting contributed by AFP.