At least 11 people have been killed and a further 15 injured in an alleged 'terrorist act' after two volunteer soldiers opened fire at a military training ground in Russia.
The shooting took place today in the Belgorod region of the country according to the Russian Defence Ministry who labelled it 'terrorism'.
"On October 15, two citizens of one of the CIS countries committed a terrorist act at the training ground of the Western Military District in the Belgorod Region," the ministry said.
CIS countries are countries in the former Soviet republic, including: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
The attackers, believed to be two volunteer soldiers, opened fire on a training unit reportedly during target practice leading to the deaths.
The ministry said there were two attackers who were both shot dead.
Russia branded the shooters “terrorists” and the attack reportedly took place in Soloti, a small community not far from the Ukrainian border.
The unit targeted were said to be volunteers to fight in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Reports circulating on Telegram suggest the death toll is in fact higher and some suggest there were three shooters as well.
The shooting comes amid a desperate mobilisation by Russian boss Vladimir Putin to try and bolster his forces during his faltering invasion of Ukraine.
In his efforts to strengthen his hand in his war against Kyiv his actions have triggered significant protests at home, leading to hundreds of thousands fleeing the country.
Putin said on Friday that over 220,000 reservists already had been called up as part of an effort to recruit 300,000 more soldiers.
This comes as the UK's Ministry of Defence said that the reservists being deployed "almost certainly" had far worse equipment than the "already poor provisions" currently being used by Putin's troops.
On top of that, many reservists are likely required to buy their own body armour.
