Ukrainian National Guard Soldier Kills 5

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

KYIV (Worthy News) – With public anxiety mounting over a feared Russian invasion, a National Guard conscript in Ukraine shot dead five people in the eastern city of Dnipro, authorities said Thursday.

Soldier Artemiy Ryabchuk, 21, also injured five people when he opened fire early Thursday as Guards received weapons at the Pivdenmash aerospace plant early on Thursday, according to investigators.

Police later detained the young man after he reportedly surrendered voluntarily.

He was then seen calmly describing how he shot people one-by-one. His motives were not immediately clear, though one Ukrainian lawmaker reportedly said the suspect might have been bullied.

Forces of the revived National Guard of Ukraine to which the gunman belonged fought against pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east.

In a statement, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ordered an investigation into the “terrible” shooting. “I expect law enforcement officers to keep the public fully informed about all the circumstances of this crime,” he said.

That included the gunman’s motives and “how the incident was allowed to happen”, Zelenskiy added.

Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky has already set up a special investigative commission.

Those killed were mainly National Guard members – all men, the interior ministry said.

Thursday’s shooting comes as Ukraine’s military and civilians fear a possible invasion from Russia as up to 127,000 Russian troops are near Ukrainian borders.

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