Russian 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 Yuri G., has gone on the run after shooting six servicemen of the howitzer artillery battalion in Ukraine's so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which Putin has claimed to have annexed.
Russian platoon commander, Sergeant Dmitry Lobovikov killed seven of his subordinates and injured at least 10 others during New Year celebrations on January 13 and 14, 2023. He was unhappy with what he saw when he went to check on the troops at his 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 soldier replied that he had not learned how to do it. After cursing him, Lobovikov went into the corridor and threw the 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.
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