Two gunmen opened fire on a group of trainees at a Russian firing range on Saturday, killing 11 and wounding 15, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
“During a firearms training session with individuals who voluntarily expressed a desire to participate in the special military operation (against Ukraine), the terrorists opened fire with small arms on the personnel of the unit,” the Defense Ministry said.
Russia said Saturday's two assailants were from an unspecified former Soviet republic, and died in an attack on recruits assembled for marksmanship training. The type of weapon training wasn't indicated.
According to Russia's Sota Vision, the incident took place in the town of Soloti, in Russia's Belgorod Oblast (province), which borders Ukraine. "A terrible event happened on our territory, on the territory of one of the military units," said Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov early Sunday.
It's not clear if the attackers were themselves part of the group of trainees. Though official Russian statements have not said that was the case, some outlets are reporting it was.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed the attackers were from predominantly-Muslim Tajikistan, and that the bloodshed arose out of a religious argument.
Though the Russian Defense Ministry characterized the incident as a "terrorist attack," a generally accepted definition of the term confines it to attacks on civilians to achieve political aims.
Some independent Russian outlets have reported that the actual number of casualties is higher than what's been announced by the government, Reuters reports.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "partial mobilization" of the country's military, with plans to press into service some 300,000 Russians with previous military training. On Friday, Putin said 220,000 had already been drafted, and said “nothing additional is being planned.”
The mobilization has sparked protests in Russia, and prompted tens or maybe even hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee the country to avoid serving in the war in Ukraine.
Earlier this week, a thermal power plant in Russia was set afire in Belgorod when it was apparently hit by a missile.
The moment a power facility in Russia’s Belgorod was hit. pic.twitter.com/HSRvBXf64C
— Leonid ХВ Ragozin (@leonidragozin) October 14, 2022
The bloodshed on Russian soil came a week after an enormous explosion inflicted heavy damage on the Kerch Strait Bridge that links the Crimea peninsula with Russia's mainland. That attack killed three people and led to massive Russian retaliation in the form of missile strikes on dozens of cities and towns across Ukraine.
