File photo of Russian military personnel
Six Russian airborne troops have been killed and two others injured after an unidentified object exploded at a military base in the northwest city of Pskov, an official says.
Five cadets of the Ryazan Higher Airborne School and a warrant officer were killed at 7 pm local time late Monday at the Strugy Krasniye military training facility near the village of Strugi Krasnye, just over 700 kilometers northwest of Moscow, said the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Troops Vladimir Shamanov on Tuesday.
A security source said the troops had been killed in a shell explosion after returning from live firing drills, though investigators were still examining circumstances of the incident.
“A preliminary analysts of the way the blast spread around, the craters on the explosion site, and the nature of the wounds sustained by the servicemen who were injured suggests that a piece of artillery ammunition [has] exploded,” said the Defense Ministry’s press office.
The ministry added that two more servicemen were injured and have been taken to a local hospital, Interfax reported.
The incident marks the latest tragedy on the Strugy Krasnye military range. An explosion during exercises killed four soldiers and injured another on April 13, 2011.
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