MOSCOW, July 6 (RAPSI) – A prosecutor has asked the Krasnogvardeysky District Court of St. Petersburg to sentence Alexander Kushnaryov, a retired captain of Russian navy, to 10 years for stealing mortar and opening fire at servicemen, RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom.

The defendant did not appear at previous court hearing and as a result was put on the wanted list. In late June, he was found in a mental hospital near St. Petersburg where he was arrested and transferred to a detention center. Kushnaryov’s lawyer claims that his client is mentally ill and requires new examination, while the prosecutor believes that the defendant is of sound mind.

According to investigators, Kushnaryov broke into a storage at a military shooting range and stole 82mm mortar 2B14 valued at 750,000 rubles ($11,900) and stealing property valued at 90,000 ($1,500) rubles from "Valkyriya" patriotic youth organization. In addition, the defendant is charged with manufacturing and storing a frag mine as well as opening carbine fire at Russian servicemen. The latter incident was qualified as hooliganism.