December 17, 2019, 14:36 / Politics

A criminal case was opened in Transbaikalia due to hazing in a military unit

Ramil Shamsutdinov, who shot his colleagues, and several other soldiers were recognized as victims Ekaterina Eremenko Ivan Safronov

Denis Abramov / Vedomosti

In Transbaikalia, a criminal case was opened due to hazing in a military unit, where soldier Ramil Shamsutdinov shot eight people. this reported on Facebook . His lawyer Ruslan Nagiyev

“In this case, Ramil Shamsutdinov and several other soldiers were recognized as victims,” the defense lawyer noted. He clarified that the case was opened under Art. 335 of the Criminal Code of Russia – violation of the statutory rules of relations between military personnel. Vedomosti's source in law enforcement agencies confirmed the fact that a criminal case had been opened, clarifying that it had been separated into separate proceedings as part of the investigation into the shooting incident. Shamsutdinov himself, who was arrested for two months at the end of October, had his period of detention extended by four months. This is necessary to conduct several examinations, including forensic psychological ones.

In Transbaikalia, a conscript soldier killed eight colleagues. What is known

Politics / Army and intelligence services

On October 25, conscript soldier Ramil Shamsutdinov opened fire on his colleagues. Eight people were killed, two more were injured of varying degrees of severity. Shamsutdinov was charged with the murder of two or more persons (clause “a”, part 2, article 105 of the Criminal Code). The incident occurred in military unit No. 54160 in the closed village of Gorny. Military unit No. 54160 is subordinate to the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for the security of nuclear weapons arsenals.

The Ministry of Defense reported that Shamsutdinov could have carried out the shooting due to a nervous breakdown. However, earlier Vedomosti’s interlocutor said that the serviceman had a conflict with one of his colleagues. After Shamsutdinov’s arrest, Baza published the testimony of the accused, where he admitted that they took his money and phone, beat him and promised to rape him. Rustem Klupov, an assistant at the main military-political directorate of the Ministry of Defense, commented on this information to Novaya Gazeta: “No one used physical force on Shamsutdinov, no beatings were recorded on his body.”

According to RBC , the Ministry of Defense commission involved in the investigation confirmed the presence of an “interpersonal conflict” between Shamsutdinov and one of the officers on guard. However, the facts of possible physical violence against Shamsutdinov were not confirmed. At the same time, sources reported that the “increased mental stress” that Shamsutdinov experienced in connection with guard duty could have led to the tragedy. The military unit where the tragedy occurred is located far from the command and the military prosecutor's office. According to the publication's sources, commanders rarely controlled the situation in the unit.