(CNN) — Eight Russian servicemembers were killed in an apparent shooting spree at a military base in Siberia on Friday, Russia's top law enforcement agency said in a statement.
According to the statement from the Investigative Committee, a soldier allegedly opened fire on colleagues at a military garrison near the city of Chita, killing two officers and six enlisted personnel. A suspect in the case, Private Ramil Shamsutdinov, a member of Unit 54160, had been detained, the Investigative Committee said.
According to the Russian defense ministry, the shooting occurred at around 6:20 p.m. local time during a change in a guard shift. Eight servicemembers were killed on the spot, and two additional military personnel were injured and taken to a hospital; their condition is not life-threatening, the ministry said.
A commission of the Russian defense ministry, headed by Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, flew to the scene of the incident, and an investigation is underway.
The Investigative Committee said a criminal investigation had been opened in the case under Article 105 of the Criminal Code: the killing of two or more persons.
A system of pervasive hazing was once common in the Russian and Soviet militaries, and bullied soldiers sometimes turned their weapons on colleagues. Such cases are relatively rarer today.
