Russia Ukraine war: Gunman opens fire at recruitment workplace in demonstration

A shooter appears to have actually opened fire at a conscription workplace in Russia today, amid soaring tensions over Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation.

He critically wounded a recruitment officer at the enlistment centre in Siberia, the local governor confirmed.

The incident occurred in the town of Ust-Ilimsk in Irkutsk – a vast, sparsely populated region – as Russians across the country voiced their disapproval at being conscripted, with countless people fleeing across borders.

Governor Igor Kobzev said in a message on Telegram: ‘In Ust-Ilimsk, a young man fired at the military registration and enlistment office.’

Mr Kobzev said a military commissar had been wounded in the shooting and was in a critical condition in hospital.

Video published on social media shows a man identifying himself to police officers as 25-year-old Ruslan Zinin. A separate video of the shooting shows a man firing at least one shot inside the draft office and people fleeing for their lives.

The videos were not immediately verifiable.

Reports suggest the local man shouted ‘no-one’s going to fight’ before firing the shot gun.

‘We’re all going home now,’ he is said to have added.

A number of draft offices have been attacked since the Russian President declared a partial mobilisation last Wednesday.

Protests against the draft took place over the weekend in Dagestan and Yakutia, where disproportionate numbers of soldiers have been sent to war.

Critics have accused the Kremlin of focusing mobilisation efforts in remote parts of the country like Siberia, to avoid sparking opposition in major urban centres, especially Moscow.

Pictures also appeared to show a conscription office in Irkutsk on fire.

It was not immediately clear if the two incidents are linked.

Mr Kobzev said that the detained shooter ‘will absolutely be punished’.

‘I am ashamed that this is happening at a time when, on the contrary, we should be united. We must not fight with each but against real threats,’ he said.

‘I have given instructions to strengthen security measures. I ask everyone to remain calm.’

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a gunman has killed at least six people in a school in Central Russia.

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