Russian military escaped with weapons near occupied Soledar, some of them were found
Seven former convicts that are now in the Russian army have left the military unit without permission near the town of Soledar in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast.
Source: TASS, a Russian Kremlin-aligned news outlet, referring to a source in Russian law enforcement agencies; Baza, a Russian independent Telegram channel
Quote from TASS: "Seven former convicts, now servicemen of one of the units, have escaped from the military unit with weapons near Soledar. Three of them were detained in the area of Brianka on the territory of the 'LPR' [self-proclaimed and non-recognised formation in Luhansk Oblast – ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ – ed.]."
Details: The source has said that the men were in a cafe in Brianka and were drunk. Another deserter was shot dead by the escapees themselves because he wanted to surrender.
"Thus, three people are currently being searched for, in particular in Rostov Oblast," law enforcement agencies said. The detainees are being questioned.
Later, Russian law enforcement agencies reported that law enforcement officers had detained two more escapees from the military unit. "Two more have been detained. We are searching for one more," the agency's source said.
At the same time, the Baza Telegram channel has reported that the soldiers who were targeted could have escaped in a Kamaz truck and a Mitsubishi pickup truck. The police also received a description of a dozen cars with Ukrainian licence plates (several Nissan and Hyundai, as well as German and American cars), which could also have been stolen by the escapees.
According to preliminary information from Baza, the escape itself took place on 24 May. In total, more than a dozen soldiers are wanted, and they may be armed. The whereabouts of the other escapees and their identities are still unknown. An interception plan was introduced in Rostov Oblast.
Background: On the morning of 27 May, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that about 20 convicts who had recently arrived to reinforce a unit near Svatove in Luhansk Oblast had escaped from the ranks of the Russian occupation army on 25 May.
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