Russian soldier kills 8 other soldiers at military base in far-east

A Russian conscript has shot dead 8 soldiers and injured 2 others in a military base in the far-eastern region of the country, Interfax news agency said on Friday citing a source. The news agency also reported that the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the incident and said that 8 people have died. The conscript turned his gun on his fellow soldiers after having a nervous breakdown, the ministry was quoted as saying.

The incident occurred at a military facility in the far east of the country in the Zabaikalsk region. The conscript has been detained, the ministry said, and the two injured troops are being treated in a military hospital. Their lives are not in danger.

The Defence Ministry statement reported by Interfax did not say why the conscript had suffered a nervous breakdown but said the shooting had occurred at a time when the guard was being changed at the base.

Brutal hazing rituals were a major problem in the Russian army in the 1990s but this has significantly improved in recent years.

Update: State news agency TASS, quoting a source, said two of the victims were officers, while the rests were conscripts and contract servicemen. TASS said the two wounded were in a serious condition and would probably be flown to Moscow for treatment.

A commission chaired by Deputy Defence Minister Andrei Kartapolov was on its way to the base. A defense ministry spokesman declined to immediately comment when reached by AFP.