MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Airborne Commander Georgy Shpak has flown at 12:00 Moscow time (0900 GMT) on Monday to Ulyanovsk where two armed men deserted from the 31st separate airborne brigade commanded by Colonel Nikolai Nikulnikov, a spokesman for the airborne headquarters told Interfax-Military News Agency.
Shpak's party includes officers of the Airborne Staff and General Staff Security Service officials, the spokesman told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The two servicemen went AWOL at 1:30 a.m. Moscow time on Monday (2200 GMT on Sunday). Junior Sergeant Almaz Shageyev, 21, drafted from the Vasilyevo village in the Tatarstan autonomous republic in February 2000, and Private Mikhail Sukhorukov, 20, drafted from the city of Penza, left their stationing area with arms due to unknown reasons. Shageyev was on duty at the battery, while Sukhorukov was included in a 24-hour duty party.
Brigade and Interior Ministry troops servicemen are engaged in the manhunt for the deserters.
In the course of the chase the deserters opened fire killing and wounding several people, the Defense Ministry press service told Interfax-AVN.