MOSCOW. Oct 29 (Interfax) - The Kremlin has said that it does not view the tragedy at the military unit in the Transbaikal Territory as a failure of the military reform and believes this is an isolated case.
Answering a question from journalists as to whether the shooting of eight fellow servicemen by a soldier as a result of hazing can be perceived as a failure of the army reform, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, "You're talking about a completely isolated case and making conclusions about the reform of the army based on that, it is an utterly inappropriate formulation of the question."
When asked a follow-up question of whether the Russian president would respond to this incident, Peskov said, "No, the president will not respond to it. It is not the president's matter."
Speaking about the analogy with another notable case involving hazing, the case of Pvt. Sychyov, whose legs were amputated after he had been tortured by his fellow troops, which resulted in personnel decisions, the presidential spokesperson said, "It is an isolated case, a tragedy which undoubtedly needs to be investigated. As a matter of fact, the army is conducting this investigation."
"It is at least unprofessional to make conclusions about the outcomes of the reform of the army before the actual reasons of this are determined," Peskov said.
As reported, on October 24, Pvt. Ramil Shamsutdinov fired at servicemen of the military unit No. 54160. Two officers and six soldiers were killed, and two more are in a serious condition. The shooter was detained; a criminal case of murder of two or more people was opened.
According to open sources, the military unit where the incident happened is subordinated to the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry, which supervises nuclear technical support. The website of the Gorny restricted area says it was founded "to accomplish strategic missions in the interests of national defense." Most local residents are employed with units of the Defense Ministry.