A Russian soldier has shot dead eight fellow soldiers at a military base in eastern Siberia.

It is believed that the soldier - who had served for four months - was a conscript and has since been detained.

The shooting happened in the Transbaikal region on Friday at around 6.20pm local time.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a Russian newspaper published by the Government of Russia, reports that two further soldiers were injured and remain in a serious condition. It added that the shots were discharged from a service weapon.

According to reports from local outlets the soldier, who is described as a "young man", aimed at his victims' heads before shooting wounded colleagues with what witnesses described as "controlled shots".

Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened a murder case against the suspect, whom it identified as 20-year-old Ramil Shamsutdinov.

The soldier - whose name has not been released - was said to be guarding the base at the time.

Deputy Defence Minister Andrey Kartapolov is flying to the area to investigate the incident.