In Chechnya, contract soldier kills his three colleagues

On April 12, in the south of Chechnya, in the mountain Shatoy District, a contract soldier of the federal forces shot dead an officer and two soldiers, also on contract service, then, he tried to commit suicide. He was hospitalized in a grave condition.

"Yesterday, at about 6:30 p.m., near Borzoy village, Shatoy District, a soldier from a subdivision of the Ministry of Defence, who was at watch, used his Kalashnikov to execute his three colleagues - an officer of the platoon and two soldiers," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by a source of the Commandant's Office.

According to his story, the soldier then tried to commit suicide by shooting in his head, but survived and is now in hospital.

"In this context, the accident is investigated; the case is under personal control of the military district commander. So far, the reason of the accident is not clear," the Commandant's Office has reported.

It is already the second serious incident in the Russian military grouping deployed in the territory of Chechnya within the latest 24 hours.

Now in Chechnya, militaries and militia are searching a soldier of the grouping who last night voluntarily left his unit with arms in hand.

Cases of execution by soldiers of their colleagues, as well as escape from their units, are quite periodic in Chechnya. For example, on January 27, an ensign of Internal Troops, who had a conflict with his commander, opened fire on his colleagues, having wounded several persons, including a woman. Then, he hid in a room and surrendered only after talking to one of the generals.

In March, a fact of desertion was also marked in the Gudermes District of Chechnya. A contract soldier from one of the units deployed in the area voluntarily left his unit and, presumably, ran home. The end of the story remains unknown.