Border guard confesses in murder of colleagues, authorities say

ASTANA – Vladislav Chelakh, the only border guard to survive a May 28 attack on the Gornyi outpost that left 15 others dead, has confessed to murder, a general prosecutor’s office representative told media June 7.

The murders stemmed from “internal conflicts,” said spokesman Nurdaulet Suindikov, who added that Chelakh told investigators he was mentally incompetent during the murders. He first shot his colleagues and then set fire to the outpost, Suindikov said. Chelakh denied having any accomplices and said his colleagues were unarmed. The authorities are checking Chelakh’s account. He faces 10 years to life if convicted.

The authorities have also arrested Aleksei Fomin, chief of the Sary-Bokter border checkpoint, which was responsible for the Gornyi outpost, saying he withheld information about not being able to contact the Gornyi outpost May 28-30.