MOSCOW. Jan 14 (Interfax-AVN) - A sentry of a military unit stationed in the Volgograd region left his post without authorization at about 5:00 a.m. Moscow time (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The sentry is armed with an assault rifle and 120 cartridges, a source in the Defense Ministry told Interfax-AVN. The private was drafted for active-duty service in May 2002. He was guarding the unit's parking lot. The unit is stationed about 150km from Volgograd.
The unit's command in cooperation with police has organized the search for the deserter, the press service said. Other law- enforcement agencies are involved in the search, it noted.