8 killed, 2 injured after Russian military service member opens fire on fellow soldiers at high-security base

A major gun violence incident occurred on Friday at a nuclear-related military base in Siberia, when a service member opened fire on fellow soldiers, killing eight people on the spot and injuring two others.

The gunman used the firearm he’d been issued with for his guard duties in the attack, the Russian defense ministry said. He was apprehended just after the incident, which occurred in the Chita region.

The two survivors were taken to a military hospital. Their lives are not in danger.

Military investigators have identified the shooter as Private Ramil Shamstudinov. Among the eight people he has alleged to have killed were two officers.

The base where the incident occurred is a high-security facility tasked with servicing strategic nuclear weapons. A deputy prosecutor general of the Russian Strategic Arms Forces, the military branch responsible for nuclear deterrence, was tasked with investigating the mass murder.

The ministry said an investigative commission headed by a deputy minister has been dispatched from Moscow to conduct an inquiry. Preliminary reports indicate that the gunman went on a rampage after suffering a mental breakdown over a personal issue that was not directly related to his military service.

The Chita region is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, about 400km east of Lake Baikal and close to the Siberia’s border with Mongolia.

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