"Around 2:00 am a knife fight broke out between four servicemen," said ministry spokesman Vasily Panchenkov.

Two of them died from their wounds, while the two others, who had just four months of their military draft left to serve, absconded from the interior ministry base in Birobijan, the official added.

Desertions, suicides and killings are frequent in the 1.1-million-strong Russian military, where conditions are harsh and recruits -- who serve two years in the army -- are often subjected to bullying and violence.

WAR.WIRE