Ukraine: Soldier shoots at least five comrades with Kalashnikov – man caught after manhunt

Created: 01/27/2022, 09:50 am

Armed and camouflaged soldiers cross a field during a demonstration during a visit by members of the Kyiv Association of Military Attaches and International Organizations to the International Training Center of the Ukrainian National Guard.

© picture alliance/dpa/Ukrinform |

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A soldier of the Ukrainian National Guard opened fire in a factory.

Several people died as a result.

Dnipro/Kiev - A soldier of the Ukrainian national guard opened fire on his comrades in an aerospace technology factory, killing five people. As the Interior Ministry in Kiev announced on Thursday, five other people were injured in the incident in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The shooter was arrested several hours after the incident.

The shooter, armed with a Kalashnikov-type firearm, fled after the crime.

He was finally arrested during a special operation to capture him, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky said on Facebook in the morning.

According to the ministry, the soldier opened fire at the Yushmash factory in Dnipro at around 3:40 a.m. (local time; 2:40 a.m.).

The gun had therefore been handed over to the shooter immediately before the start of the shift.

According to the Interior Ministry, the motive of the shooter, who was born in 2001 and comes from the Odessa region, was initially unclear.

Ukraine: Soldier shoots at least five comrades with Kalashnikov – man caught after manhunt

According to its website, the Yushmash factory produces products related to defence, aerospace and agriculture.

Among other things, carrier rockets are produced.

In the Ukraine * there have been fatal shots by soldiers at comrades in the past.

In 2018, two members of the army killed four of their comrades in the east of the country.

In general, there are always incidents in Ukraine involving firearms originating from the conflict area in the east of the country.

Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army there since 2014.

The West accuses Russia of supporting the separatists, which the Kremlin denies.

Massive Russian troop movements along the Ukrainian border are currently causing unrest in Kiev.

The West fears a possible attack by Russia on the neighboring country.

Moscow rejects any invasion plans, but at the same time says it feels "threatened" by Ukraine and the West.