Army hazing makes two deserters kill police officers and take three hostage

The police can not find a reason to explain the crime committed by 20-year-old twin brothers

Two armed soldiers escaped from their military unit in the Moscow region two days ago. The deserters killed two police officers and took four people hostage.

Alexander and Dmitry Oparin from the city of Chelyabinsk have served 18 months. The two deserters fled their garrison with two Kalashnikovs and 120 bullets. Twenty-year-old twin brothers hijacked a minivan and killed two police officers, who tried to stop them. On their way to the town of Dmitrov they picked up two girls, who, as they thought, would show them a safe road to the town. When they drove into the town they found themselves at a loss and did not know what they could do further. When the deserters released the girls, they broke into a house, where they took three people hostage. The police encircled the house and stormed it after the deserters opened fire against the officers, who tried to negotiate with them.

One of the twin brothers, Alexander, was arrested, whereas the other one, Dmitry, shot himself dead. No hostages were injured in the operation.

The incident with the two deserters in the Moscow region became a shock for those Chelyabinsk residents, who knew them in person. The brothers were coming from a good family – spokespeople for the enlistment office could not find a reason to explain their crime. Brother Oparins' teacher said that they both were very kind and well-bred guys: “I can only say positive things about them. Their parents are very nice people too,” said she. The brothers' relatives are perplexed: they do not know what happened to the two soldiers that made them become cold-blooded killers. Local newspapers write that the brothers fled the garrison to call their mother and tell her about the army hazing.

Dmitry and Alexander Oparin were enlisted in the spring of 2003 from Chelyabinsk. They served 18 months of their 2-year conscription term and had only six months of the army service left. That is why, police officers believe, the hazing can hardly be considered a motive of the crime.