Two gunmen opened fire on a group of Russian military recruits at a training ground in Belgorod, Russia, on Saturday, killing 11 people and injuring 15 others, CNN reported, citing Russian state news agency TASS.
Driving the news: Russian authorities have called the incident an act of terrorism and on Sunday the Russian Investigative Committee announced that it was opening a criminal investigation into the case.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said the two gunmen were from a former Soviet republic, but gave no further details, according to the BBC.
- “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,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, the BBC reported, citing the official Ria news agency.
- “As a result of a terrorist attack on a military training ground in the Belgorod region, 11 people were killed, 15 were injured and are receiving medical assistance,” TASS reported.
- The two gunmen were killed in retaliatory fire at the training ground, according to CNN.
The big picture: Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of around 300,000 Russian citizens for the country’s war in Ukraine.
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