Russian Troops Massacred by Fellow Soldiers

Police are searching for a Russian soldier suspected of shooting dead six of his comrades in eastern Ukraine, according to reports. The manhunt comes as a Russian officer went on trial for killing seven soldiers under his command after he threw a grenade into a room last year.

Since the start of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been repeated claims of low morale among Russian troops, with the reasons ranging from unhappiness with training and equipment, to questioning the leadership of superiors.

Moscow's war effort has been boosted by convicts who have been offered freedom if they serve for six months, although Russia's forces are now said to be relying less on prisoners from the country's penal colonies.

One convict, a 57-year-old junior sergeant named by Telegram channel Baza as Yuri G., has gone on the run after shooting six servicemen of the howitzer artillery battalion on May 4 in Ukraine's so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which Putin has claimed to have annexed.

The suspect may have an AK-12 assault rifle with a silencer and ammunition and police are scouring Russia's border regions of Rostov, Belgorod and Voronezh, Baza said in the report, which was also covered by other Russian news outlets.

The latest incident occurred as the trial started of a former acting platoon commander, Sergeant Dmitry Lobovikov, who is accused of killing seven of his subordinates and injuring at least 10 others during New Year celebrations on January 13 and 14, 2023.

He is alleged to have been unhappy with what he saw when he went to check on the troops at the barracks and took out an RGD-5 grenade, pulled out its pin and asked one of the soldiers to put it back in place, the newspaper Kommersant reported.

The soldier replied that he had not learned how to do it. After cursing him, Lobovikov went into the corridor from where he is accused of throwing a grenade into the next room where soldiers from another platoon were sleeping, detonating gas cylinders, killing seven men and destroying part of the barracks.

Lobovikov was detained and charged with murder, attempted murder, intentional infliction of bodily harm, intentional destruction and damage to property, as well as illegal possession of an explosive device.

The Kommersant report didn't specify the location of the incident, but his case was heard by a jury at the Western District Military Court, which covers Russia's European regions bordering Ukraine.

His lawyer referred to his exemplary service for the people's militia of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), which Moscow also claims to have annexed from Ukraine. He said his client didn't deny what had happened, but that it was accidental and he had been impaired by the combination of sedatives that had been taken due to a concussion, combined with alcohol.

He said his client had found the grenade in the corridor and following a confrontation with a soldier, he lost consciousness and the munition rolled into the room, exploding, causing serious injuries to Lobovikov as well.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.