Massive search operation in St. Petersburg region

Throughout the St.Petersburg region, law enforcement agencies are hunting for a soldier who has deserted his regiment with an AK-74 assault rifle.

No traces of Roman Yeskevich have been found since the time he left his unit early this morning. According to one of the main versions, he left his post at about 5:00 AM, cut through a wire fence and disappeared with a rifle and two 30-cartridge magazines. Two and a half hours later, the information was sent to police posts throughout the area, yet search activities brought no results. Whereabouts of the fugitive are still unknown.

Roman Yeskevich, 19, was drafted last December from Krasnoselsk region. Like everybody, he passed the medical commission and nothing distinguished him among other conscripts. Those who knew him by his local company and vocational school said he treated to ensuing service calmly.

Now the fugitive is being tracked down in St. Petersburg and its suburbs. His mother and stepfather live in the nearby Krasnoselsk region. Military prosecutor's office does not rule out rhe possibility of him trying to get home, although to do this, he will have to travel through the entire city. He has done this once, since it is reportedly his second desertion. According to law enforcement officials, the last time he got away, his mother convinced him to return to come back to his regiment, where he continued his service until this morning.