Live: At least 11 dead, 15 wounded in shooting at Russian military training ground

Issued on: 16/10/2022 – 08:56

6:59am: No civilians killed in attack at Russian military base, says local governor

No civilians were killed in the attack at a military base in Russia’s Belgorod region, but many soldiers were killed or wounded, the governor of Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said early on Sunday.

“A terrible event happened on our territory, on the territory of one of the military units,” Gladkov said in a video post on the Telegram messaging app.

“Many soldiers were killed and wounded … There are no residents of the Belgorod region among the wounded and killed.”

Gladkov did not say how many soldiers were killed. The state RIA news agency cited the defence ministry as saying that 11 people were killed and 15 others were wounded. 

9:36pm: At least 11 dead, 15 wounded in shooting at Russian military training ground

At least 11 people were killed and 15 more wounded at a training ground in south-western Russia on Saturday when two attackers opened fire on a group of volunteers who wished to fight in Ukraine, the RIA news agency said.

The Russian news agency, citing the defence ministry, said the two assailants had been shot dead after the attack in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. It said they were nationals from a former Soviet republic but did not give any details.

“During a firearms training session with individuals who voluntarily expressed a desire to participate in the special military operation (against Ukraine), the terrorists opened fire with small arms on the personnel of the unit,” RIA cited a defence ministry statement as saying. “As a result of the shooting, 11 people were fatally wounded. Another 15 people with wounds of varying severity were taken to a medical facility,” it said.

Authorities in Belgorod have repeatedly accused Ukraine of attacking targets in the city, but Kyiv has not claimed any responsibility.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)