A drunken Russian soldier conscripted in President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization for the war in Ukraine allegedly beat one of his officers to death while on a troop train, according to Russian media reports.
The intoxicated soldier was taken into custody after the Dec. 23 incident in the vicinity of Chelyabinsk in southern Russia. The incident was announced Wednesday by local court officials, according to the Russian news site Mgorsk.ru.
The army sergeant attacked the captain while the military train was at a railway station.
“The commander died on the spot from his injuries,” Mgorsk.ru reported.
The Russian media report doesn’t indicate a motive for the attack but said the sergeant is facing up to 15 years in prison.
Moscow has stiffened penalties for criminal offenses linked to Mr. Putin’s unpopular mobilization efforts to staff his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Last month, a Russian military court sentenced a conscripted soldier to more than five years in prison after he failed to show up at his unit.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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