Court martial in Rostov-on-Don puts contracted soldier accused of shooting dead 4 comrades-in-arms sent to pre-trial jail

A military court in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don has sent Vladimir Zelenin, 39, a contracted soldier, to a pre-trial jail. Zelenin is accused of murdering four of his comrades-in-arms and attempting to murder one more. Kavkaz.Realii reports this news, citing a statement on the court’s website.

The media outlet says Zelenin arrived from Kamensk Shakhtinsky in the Rostov region. It is unknown for how long he has been sent into the pre-trial jail. The appeal resolution says he shot dead his comrades-in-arms inside their military base. He was first taken into custody on 8 February.

Zelenin’s case is being investigated by the military investigation department for the United Group of Forces, which was formed last December to investigate crimes committed in the Ukraine War, Kavkaz.Realii notes.

It was revealed yesterday that a court in Russia’s Kamchatka had sentenced Sergey Vladimirov, a serviceman with the Pacific Fleet, to eight years in a maximum security prison for desertion with a weapon during wartime and attacking a security official.

According to the investigators, Vladimirov left his place of service in the Kamchatka region and went into hiding on 9 October. He was put on the wanted list and soon had security officials before his front door to search the apartment. During the detention, Vladimirov used pepper spray against employees of the National Guard and attempted to escape, the Investigative Committee says.