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Russian serviceman charged with murder, weapons theft

The suspect is facing a possible life sentence
A police car at the entrance to the Baltimore airfield in Voronezh  Kristina Brazhnikova/TASS
A police car at the entrance to the Baltimore airfield in Voronezh
© Kristina Brazhnikova/TASS

 

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. /TASS/. Investigators have filed charges against Anton Makarov, a serviceman who killed three fellow colleagues at a military airfield in Voronezh. According to attorney Yana Goryunova, who spoke to TASS, he has again refused to talk to the investigation.

"Makarov was charged with committing crimes under Article 105, Part 2a of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Murder) and Article 226, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Theft of a weapon). [After being charged], he refused to give a statement under Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation," the agency’s interlocutor said.

According to the attorney, a psycho-medical assessment of her client has not been scheduled yet.

On November 9, at the Baltimore military airfield in Voronezh, the suspect killed an officer with an axe in order to obtain his service weapon, then shot and killed two servicemen, wounding one. One of them was shot while sleeping. The suspect was shielding himself with one of the servicemen, subsequently shooting him as well.

Then, using a stolen car, he went to his relatives in the Oryol Region. He was detained by law enforcement in the town of Zemlyansk in the Voronezh Region and handed over to the military investigators for further proceedings.

Expert studies will be conducted within the framework of the investigation in order to determine the suspect’s mental health. The investigators are establishing all the circumstances of the situation as well as a motive for his actions. The suspect is facing a possible life sentence. On Wednesday, the Voronezh garrison military court arrested him until January 8.