Latest on mass murder by National Guardsman at Pivdenmash in Dnipro
A Ukrainian national guardsman shot five people dead and injured another five in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky reported on Jan. 27.
The tragedy occurred at the Pivdenmash engineering plant in Dnipro in the early hours of Jan. 27. Four servicemen and one civilian were among the victims.
The shooter attempted to flee the scene, but was detained by the police.
NV has put together all that is known about this tragic incident:
Where and when did the shooting happen?
The shooting happened at around 0340, at Pivdenmash, a heavy engineering plant in Dnipro, central Ukraine. The shooter, a guard at the facility, opened fire after he was issued his weapon at the start of a shift.
What do we know about the shooter?
The shooter is 21-year-old Artemiy Ryabchuk, originally from Izmail in Odesa region, and a conscript national guardsman, according to information supplied by Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko on Facebook. Ryabchuk’s unit was responsible for guarding the facility. His motives remain unknown, the Interior Ministry said.
What are the names of the victims?
● First Lieutenant Oleksandr Buhanov;
● Sub-lieutenant Oleksandr Drahan;
● Senior Soldier Artem Levkovsky;
● Soldier Leonid Chernik;
● Vera Lebedinets, checkpoint controller, member of departmental military security
How did the police detain the shooter?
The shooter fled the facility premises immediately after shooting, but was apprehended 20 kilometers away from the crime scene. According to the State Bureau of Investigations, Ryabchuk turned himself in. He reached the outskirts of the city, on the opposite side of Dnipro from the plant, and asked a passer-by to call the police and inform them of his whereabouts.
How the government reacted?
Interior Minister Monastyrsky has announced the formation of a special commission to look into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. In particular, the investigation will look into how Ryabchuk passed a medical check-up that authorized his access to firearms.
Monastyrsky also added it was time to take a closer look at how conscription was handled in Ukraine, and what needed to be radically changed. According to Deputy Interior Minister Herashchenko, the shooter will face “the most severe punishment for mass murder.”
What about the other victims?
The five people that were injured but survived the shooting are now being treated in two major Dnipro hospitals. They have all suffered severe injuries and some required emergency surgery.
In the most serious condition is a 22-year-old woman, who is in critical condition with damage to her internal organs after being shot three times by Ryabchuk, sustaining damage to her stomach, spine, kidneys, knees, and shoulder.
The woman lost 3 liters of blood, and is currently intubated, and may not survive her injuries, doctors at the hospital say.
The other survivors are in moderate to mild conditions.
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