Russian Soldiers Suspected Of Killing Taxi Driver In Tajikistan

By RFE/RL's Tajik Service

August 27, 2014

Police in Tajikistan have detained two Russian servicemen on suspicion of killing a taxi driver in the Central Asian nation.

Police told RFE/RL that the servicemen from Russia's military base in Tajikistan had been detained on August 26.

They are suspected of killing taxi driver Rahimjon Teshaboev, 36, whose body was found near the capital, Dushanbe, last week. He had been beaten and his throat slashed.

Authorities said a preliminary investigations indicated an argument over money might have prompted the killing, which could cause tension between Russians and Tajiks.

The Russian military base in Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, is Moscow's largest outside the country and consists of some 7,000 troops deployed at three different sites.

Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry identified the two suspects as deputy platoon commander Fyodor Basimov and former military unit commander Ildar Sakhapov.