MOSCOW: Russian authorities on Wednesday announced having killed a soldier who left his military base, with state media identifying the man as an armed deserter from fighting in Ukraine, reports AFP.

Dmitry Perov, wanted for the unauthorised abandonment of his military unit, was found and liquidated, the government of the Lipetsk region, in western Russia, said on social media.

A local branch of the state VGTRK television network said the man was 31-years-old and had fled the zone of the special military operation -- Moscow's term for its offensive in Ukraine.

It published a search notice that said he fled Ukraine on January 13 armed with a rifle and grenades, and that he could be headed for his native village.

There have been several cases of desertions among Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine in recent months.

The Kommersant newspaper reported Wednesday that eight servicemen who refused to fight in Ukraine have been charged with desertion.

According to the paper, the soldiers had left a base in eastern Ukraine at the end of December and were able to return to Russia by taxi.

Thousands of Russians fled the country after the mobilisation announcement to avoid being drafted.

Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February last year.