Ingush President Ruslan Aushev accused the armed forces of vandalism and desecration Friday, saying military helicopters had deliberately opened fire on the tower of a 12th-century fortress and troops had used a 9th-century Christian temple as a toilet.
Helicopters belonging to the 58th army in the Dzheirakhsky district of Ingushetia attacked the fortress Thursday evening during a training exercise and a crypt was destroyed, Interfax reported, citing the Ingush prosecutor's office.
A fortress wall was also destroyed when a tank rammed into it, and the roof of the nearby Khaba-Erdy temple was smashed, Interfax said. Soldiers also went into the temple and relieved themselves.
The fortress and temple are both located on a museum reserve.
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Aushev said a special government commission had been set up to investigate the troops' actions and that he had expressed concern to Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko and Federal Security Service head Nikolai Patrushev, whose service is overseeing the military campaign in neighboring Chechnya.
"We hope that strict measures will be taken at the federal level against those members of the military who desecrated the monuments," Aushev was quoted by Interfax as saying.
Such actions "undermine the authority of the army and raise doubts about its moral character," he added.
Yury Kurichenko, the acting head of the 58th army, called the incident a "pure accident," Interfax reported.
Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Nikolai Baranov said Friday by telephone that the army would not release a statement before the allegations were investigated. He said the investigation would be completed Saturday.
Interfax later said that Ingush and army officials would sort out the matter Monday.
The head of the local administration, Ibragim Tochiyev, said Friday that he had secretly witnessed the military exercise and recorded it on video, Interfax reported. Tochiyev said he plans to take the army to court.
Interfax correspondent Zaurbek Tochiyev said Friday by telephone from Ingushetia that the 58th army is stationed in the settlement of Targim in the mountainous Dzheirakhsky district. He said the museum reserve that was attacked was of federal significance and that the whole Dzheirakhsky district was of special significance to the Ingush people; military exercises are forbidden there.
After the incident, General Vladimir Moltenskoi, commander of the armed forces in the North Caucasus, forbid anyone from entering the area, Tochiyev added.
The 58th army, formerly under the command of General Vladimir Shamanov, who is now governor of the Ulyanovsk region, has earned a reputation for its brutality in Chechnya. Colonel Yury Budanov, who is being tried for the murder of a Chechen woman, is a member of the division.
Helicopters belonging to the 58th army in the Dzheirakhsky district of Ingushetia attacked the fortress Thursday evening during a training exercise and a crypt was destroyed, Interfax reported, citing the Ingush prosecutor's office.
A fortress wall was also destroyed when a tank rammed into it, and the roof of the nearby Khaba-Erdy temple was smashed, Interfax said. Soldiers also went into the temple and relieved themselves.
The fortress and temple are both located on a museum reserve.
Aushev said a special government commission had been set up to investigate the troops' actions and that he had expressed concern to Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko and Federal Security Service head Nikolai Patrushev, whose service is overseeing the military campaign in neighboring Chechnya.
"We hope that strict measures will be taken at the federal level against those members of the military who desecrated the monuments," Aushev was quoted by Interfax as saying.
Such actions "undermine the authority of the army and raise doubts about its moral character," he added.
Yury Kurichenko, the acting head of the 58th army, called the incident a "pure accident," Interfax reported.
Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Nikolai Baranov said Friday by telephone that the army would not release a statement before the allegations were investigated. He said the investigation would be completed Saturday.
Interfax later said that Ingush and army officials would sort out the matter Monday.
The head of the local administration, Ibragim Tochiyev, said Friday that he had secretly witnessed the military exercise and recorded it on video, Interfax reported. Tochiyev said he plans to take the army to court.
Interfax correspondent Zaurbek Tochiyev said Friday by telephone from Ingushetia that the 58th army is stationed in the settlement of Targim in the mountainous Dzheirakhsky district. He said the museum reserve that was attacked was of federal significance and that the whole Dzheirakhsky district was of special significance to the Ingush people; military exercises are forbidden there.
After the incident, General Vladimir Moltenskoi, commander of the armed forces in the North Caucasus, forbid anyone from entering the area, Tochiyev added.
The 58th army, formerly under the command of General Vladimir Shamanov, who is now governor of the Ulyanovsk region, has earned a reputation for its brutality in Chechnya. Colonel Yury Budanov, who is being tried for the murder of a Chechen woman, is a member of the division.