YEKATERINBURG, Central Urals. Nov 16 (Interfax-AVN) - The death of the T-72 tank crew at the Volga-Ural military district training center's proving range on Friday was caused by the explosion of a shell in the tank's barrel, a source in the district headquarters told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The conclusion was made by a commission led by the district's chief-of-staff Lieutenant General Nikolai Tkachyov and an investigation brigade of the district military prosecutor's office which are operating at the proving range near the village of Yelan. According to the source, the shell blasted when the crew was firing at a target for the second time.
The blast killed a professional serviceman and two active-duty servicemen from Kurgan, Kemerovo and Sverdlovsk regions respectively. The names of the servicemen are not disclosed. The prosecutor's office of the district launched a criminal case on charges of arms handling rules violation in accordance with the Russian Criminal Code.