According to the investigation, on August 16 2005, Rolan Hertek, in charge of a platoon, became enraged after Private Maxim Lyakhovsky refused to obey an order he considered to be illegal. The sergeant hit him several times with a stock of his hand-held machine gun. He then loaded the weapon and shot the soldier in the head. The private died at the scene from a single-shot, which shattered his scull.
During the investigation and the trial, Hertek, who comes from the Tuva ethnic group in Siberia and claims he does not speak Russian, communicated with investigators and court officials through an interpreter. He partially acknowledged his guilt and said he did not intend to kill his subordinate.
Nevertheless, the court martial has found him guilty on counts of premeditated murder and abuse of authority.
According to army statistics, the overall military fatalities for 2005 were 1,064, both in the army and the navy. A total of 195 servicemen have died in 4,755 accidents and other non-combat incidents registered in the Russian Armed Forces since the beginning of 2006, the Defense Ministry said on April 14.
