MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. An unidentified man wearing a camouflage uniform opened fire on police in the southern Russian town of Novoshakhtinsk, wounding one policeman, the Interior Ministry told TASS on Tuesday.

"The crime was committed in the suburbs of Novoshakhtinsk at 12 pm today. A man wearing a camouflage uniform opened fire on police officers, then fled the scene. One of the policemen sustained a gunshot wound," the ministry’s office in the Rostov Region said.

The ministry said police are conducting an operation to identify and detain the suspect and establish the circumstances of the incident.

A representative of the law enforcement agencies told TASS the culprit is a deserter and that he used a machine gun.

"According to preliminary data, gunfire was conducted with a machine gun. The shooter, tentatively, is a deserter. A search for him is underway," the person said.