ASTRAKHAN. Sept 23 (Interfax-AVN) - A serviceman of the Znamensk garrison who left his unit without authorization has been detained in the course of the Okhotnik operation of law-enforcement agencies in the southern Russian Astrakhan region.
"Junior Sergeant Anatoly Kuchin was detained by law-enforcers in a recreation park in the town of Kapustin Yar at about 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (0000 GMT) on Monday. A Kalashnikov assault rifle and 60 cartridges were confiscated from the serviceman who was drunk," a source in the Astrakhan region police department told Interfax- Military News Agency.
Kuchin went AWOL from the duty room of his unit organic of the North Caucasus military district unit overnight to Monday carrying an assault rifle and cartridges. Kuchin's absence was discovered by an officer performing a check. The Okhotnik operation involved bodies of the Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service and military prosecutor's office.
Kuchin was found in Kapustin Yar by local residents.