Armed Wagner Group deserter arrested in Rostov region

An armed man in military fatigues who opened fire at the local police officers on December 6 has been arrested near the mining city of Novoshakhtinsk.

“The criminal has been detained,” wrote the governor of Rostov region Vasily Golubev on Telegram. “As a result of well-coordinated actions, he was discovered in an empty building outside of Novoshakhtinsk.”

The Russian news source Baza identifies the detainee as Pavel Nikolin, who was recruited by the Wagner Group but deserted from the front. Before joining the “private military company,” Nikolin was serving a sentence at the IK-4 penal colony in Ufa.

On December 6, Nikolin had opened fire on the police at a customs checkpoint on the outskirts of Novoshakhtinsk. The shooter, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, wounded one of the officers and fled from the scene.

Following the incident, the city had closed its daycare centers and shut down the roads for leaving the city. Residents had been advised to stay indoors.

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