Military exercises: war make-believe, the victims are real
On Thursday, at an exercise in the Pskov Region at the Struga Reds test site, four fighters from the 106-th Tula Airborne Division were killed during the explosion of ammunition in the Nona self-propelled unit. Another fighter who was trying to help the injured comrades himself ended up wounded. In total, there were two explosions, thundering at the moment when the car was shooting. On this, as reported by RIA "News", Said the representative of the Ministry of Defense. “After the explosion, the exercises were stopped,” the spokesman said.
To clarify the causes of emergency in place arrived commission of the military. Later, in fact, a criminal case was opened under the h. 3 Art. 349 of the Criminal Code ("Violation of the rules for the treatment of weapons and items of heightened danger that entailed by negligence the death of two or more persons "), which threatens those who are guilty up to 10 years in prison. This was reported by ITAR-TASS in the Investigative Committee of Russia. According to military investigators, there was a rupture of an 122-mm projectile inside the barrel, “after which the combat vehicle’s ammunition assembly detonated”.
As previously reported by the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office (PRT), military prosecutors of the Western Military District also work at the scene. They check the implementation of legislation on the preservation of life and health of military personnel, as well as compliance with safety rules when organizing and conducting firing.
Self-propelled artillery gun "Nona" is intended for fire support of units of the Airborne troops during the battle. It is used to destroy enemy manpower, destroy defensive structures and combat tanks. One of the first modifications - 2C9 "Nona-S" - was developed in the early 60s. It officially entered service with the Airborne Forces in 1981, but has been used in Afghanistan since 1979. It is in service with the Russian and Afghan army.
2С9 "Nona-S" is a modified airborne armored personnel carrier BTR-D, which was created based on the BMD-1 airborne combat vehicle. The mortar is equipped with an automatic cleaner with a rate of six to eight shots per minute.
Experts, judging by the first reports, allow two options for the causes of emergency. Konstantin Sivkov, the first vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, points out that there is a culprit in each such case, but only a consequence can determine them. Among possible versions of the incident, the expert listed the probable error of the soldier who could have allowed it when loading the ammunition, for example, setting the fuse into a combat position, which he had no right to do, “as a result, an explosion occurs and everyone dies.”
“This could have happened because old ammunition was supplied. A spontaneous explosion could occur as a result of a concussion. Could be a technical defect. The fuse is a rather complicated construction, and as a result of a defect an explosion may occur, ”Sivkov told the newspaper LOOK.
At the same time, the expert stressed that in Russia gas cylinders explode more than shells during exercises. “But for some reason the explosions of cylinders do not give such a resonance,” said Sivkov.
He also urged to understand the simple truth that military service is not a sanatorium for mama sons. “Military service is a service to the state. There are people who, if necessary, are ready to give their lives for their country, ”he recalled.
The last case, when a soldier was killed during the exercise, took place in early April in the Khabarovsk Territory near the village of Kniaz-Volkonskoye, where the T-80 tank, wading through the Obor river, went under the ice. As a result, the officer died. Who is to blame for the tragedy: the leadership, who marked the way for the machines, or the tankman, who turned off the road into a hole, continues to clarify the supervisory authority.
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