Russian conscript commits murder-suicide at military base near Moscow

A conscript has “violated the rules for handling weapons” and fatally wounded a fellow soldier before turning the gun on himself at a military base in the Moscow region, state-owned news agency TASS reported on Friday, citing the Moscow Military District command.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday, and a Russian Air Force commission was now on site, TASS continued. No further details were provided and neither the victim nor the gunman has been named. 

Earlier on Friday, state-affiliated newspaper Izvestia reported that a conscript in the Moscow region had shot two fellow soldiers and seriously wounded another, with sources saying five people had been injured in all. According to the report, one of the wounded servicemen managed to call his mother, who alerted the police and emergency services.

Independent media outlet IStories said the Naro-Fominsk district, approximately 70km southwest of Moscow, where the incident occurred, is home to the 1182nd Guards Artillery Regiment of the 106th Airborne Division, tank regiments, an air defence brigade and training units for recruits from Moscow, but could not say which unit was affected.

Russian conscripts, who typically serve far from the frontline and are only made to serve for a year, have reportedly faced increasing pressure to sign open-ended contracts with the Russian Defence Ministry to fight in Ukraine, with soldiers being threatened with physical violence for refusing. One 19-year-old conscript was reportedly killed last year for refusing to be deployed to the frontline.