Russian soldier killed commander who mocked his name for sounding like ethnic slur: reports

A Russian soldier allegedly gunned down his commander and wounded a comrade for drunkenly mocking his surname for sounding like an ethnic slur for Ukrainians.

Sgt. Mikhail Khokhlov, 37, was detained by military police after the deadly attack Sunday in the village of Knyaz-Gregorovka in the occupied portion of Ukraine’s Kherson region, according to 24TV.ua.

He is suspected of using an AK-47 assault rifle to fatally shoot Lt. Ivan Krivosheev, a 37-year-old platoon commander in the first battalion of the 1218 Motorized Rifle Regiment, who died on the spot.

Khokhlov — who was Krivosheev’s deputy — also allegedly injured another serviceman, Alexander Lykov, 32, who was hit in the neck but survived.

The trio had been drinking alcohol together when Krivosheev and Lykov began teasing Khokhlov over his last name, according to the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which claims to have ties to Russia’s security services.

Khokhlov is derived from the word “khokhol,” which means a sheaf of cereal stalks — but has long been used by Russians as a derogatory term for Ukrainians.

All three men involved in the deadly confrontation have wives and children waiting for them back home in Russia, the reports said.

Khokhlov is expected to face court-martial in connection with the shooting that led to his commander’s death.