In Astrakhan, Commander of "Ashuluk" sentenced conditionally because of death of a soldier

Colonel Andrei Zaichenko, Commander of the "Ashuluk" Training Range, located in the Astrakhan Region, has been convicted conditionally for the negligence that led to the death of a soldier, the Chief Military Investigatory Department of the ICRF, has reported today.

In the course of training flights with launching of combat missiles, held on September 20, 2011, Alexander Vasin, a regular serviceman, perished in "Ashuluk". As stated then by Vladimir Gradusov, the head of the centre for combat use of air forces, "a missile deviated from the flight trajectory, as result of which the serviceman, who was in the open terrain, was mortally wounded by missile fragments."

"Colonel Zaichenko, knowing for sure in advance that the 'Ashuluk' was not fit for using a certain calibre missiles, reported to higher command of the readiness of the training range to operation of the aviation with the combat use of this destruction means," says the release of the above Military Department of the ICRF.

In their turn, experts found that the use of that calibre missiles had greatly increases the destruction zone, which extends beyond the security zone of the training range.

In violation of the requirements for organizing the training range service, the above officer failed to comply with measures to ensure the safety of the personnel, RIA "Novosti" reports.

The Astrakhan Garrison Military Court has sentenced Colonel Zaichenko to two years of conditional imprisonment. Besides, the court has satisfied the civil suit lodged by the parents of the deceased soldier and ruled to collect from the range in their favour one million roubles as compensation of moral harm, the "Interfax" adds.

So far, the position of the convict or his representatives is unknown.