Gunman opens fire at draft office in Russia's Irkutsk region

Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the draft office head was in hospital in a critical condition and that the detained shooter "will absolutely be punished."

 Russian law enforcement officers stand guard during a rally, after opposition activists called for street protests against the mobilisation of reservists ordered by President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, Russia September 24, 2022.  (photo credit: REUTERS/REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER)
Russian law enforcement officers stand guard during a rally, after opposition activists called for street protests against the mobilisation of reservists ordered by President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, Russia September 24, 2022.
(photo credit: REUTERS/REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER)

A gunman was detained after opening fire at a military draft office in Russia's Irkutsk region on Monday, the local governor said.

The gunman, who in a video published on social media is seen identifying himself to police officers as 25-year-old Ruslan Zinin, opened fire at a draft office in the Siberian town of Ust-Ilimsk. A separate video of the shooting shows him firing at least one shot inside the draft office.

Reuters was unable to verify the videos.

Irkutsk regional Governor Igor Kobzev wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the draft office head was in hospital in a critical condition and that the detained shooter "will absolutely be punished."

Separately, local media reported that a man attempted to set himself on fire at a bus station in the city of Ryazan, 130 miles (80 km) south of Moscow, shouting that he did not want to fight in Ukraine. He was taken away in an ambulance.

Haredi men protest outside the draft office in Jerusalem on November 28. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Haredi men protest outside the draft office in Jerusalem on November 28. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Attacks at draft offices

A number of draft offices have been attacked since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization last Wednesday.

A number of draft offices have been attacked since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization last Wednesday to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.

Protests against the draft took place over the weekend in Dagestan and Yakutia, both of which have supplied disproportionate numbers of soldiers for the war in Ukraine.

Rights group OVD-Info said that at least 101 people were detained on Sunday in Dagestan's capital Makhachkala, in a rare example of mass dissent in the usually tightly controlled North Caucasian region.