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A Russian soldier has shot dead eight fellow servicemen, BBC reported. The soldier also seriously wounded two other soldiers. The incident happened Friday evening on a military base in the country’s Far East at the military unit No. 54160 in the village of Gorny, according to the report. Russian media report that the suspect shot his victims in the head

Officials said Private Ramil Shamsutdinov – who has been detained – might have been suffering from mental health problems.

Shamsutdinov, a conscript, killed two officers and six fellow soldiers.

The military unit No. 54160 houses an artillery brigade and a missile brigade. It has Iskander missiles, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to the report.

Military service is mandatory in Russia for all male citizens aged 18-27. They typically serve 12 months, and can then sign a professional contract to continue in the armed forces.

In the mid-2000s, rights groups reported widespread violence and bullying – known as “dedovshchina” – against new conscripts in the Russian armed forces.

A murder investigation is said to be under way.