Tajik Soldiers Massacre 11 Conscripts In Russian Training Center

Two volunteer soldiers from Tajikistan massacred 11 Russian troops at a military firing range in Belgorod in what Moscow dubbed as a “terrorist attack" within its training facilities.

Photo Insert: A training session for volunteers preparing to take part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was underway when the two suspects allegedly argued and later shot at the conscripts at 10 a.m. on Oct. 15.

The Russian defense ministry reported that 15 others were wounded but other soldiers shot back and killed the assailants, Nikkei Asia reported.

A training session for volunteers preparing to take part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was underway when the two suspects allegedly argued and later shot at the conscripts at 10 a.m. on Oct. 15.

“As a result, 11 people lost their lives and 15 others suffered various degrees of injuries. The victims were brought to a hospital, A shootout with security personnel resulted in the deaths of two suspects there and then,” the ministry statement disclosed.

The independent Russian news website Sota Vision said the incident took place in the town of Soloti in the province of Belgorod, which abuts the Ukrainian border.

Oleksiy Arestovych, a counselor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed that the two suspects, both of Tajik descent, opened fire on other people at the training area after arguing with one another.

The incident took place while Russia was assembling its reserve forces to join the badly-battered Russian invasion force in Ukraine.

On Oct. 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 220,000 of the projected 300,000 troops had been recruited, with 33,000 of them have been assigned to military units while 16,000 were already in Ukraine.

Of this number, Ukraine said hundreds had been killed in Ukraine’s offensive operations and hundreds more have surrendered after spending two days in combat.

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