A Russian soldier awaiting trial for killing eight in a shooting at a Siberian military base has said he committed the attack after hazing made his life "hell".

Conscript Ramil Shamsutdinov opened fire on troops at his army base in the Chita region in eastern Siberia last October, killing eight and injuring several.

Officials quickly ruled out hazing, blaming the incident on a possible nervous breakdown.

Shamsutdinov, 19, faces life in prison if convicted of mass murder.

In an open letter posted on social media on Thursday, Shamsutdinov said he was a victim of abuse and had no way of seeking help.

"I regret I was not able to contain myself and opted for a measure of last resort but I had no other choice," he said in the hand-written letter whose authenticity was confirmed by one of his lawyers, Ruslan Nagiyev.

Shamsutdinov said he always wanted to serve in the army and become a professional soldier. "But I did not expect that I'd end up in such hell. There was nowhere to run and complain," he added. "I could no longer endure abuse."

"Apparently a survival instinct kicked in," he added.

He said he still did not understand how he had lost control and asked his victims' families to forgive him "if they can."

"Only now do I begin to comprehend how much grief I have brought to people and that I have ruined my life," he added.

Brutal hazing rituals were a huge problem in the Russian army in the 1990s but this has significantly improved in recent years.

Rights groups say however that hazing rituals are still common in Russia.

Shamsutdinov's lawyers said the young man has been bullied and faced death threats including a threat to "drown him in a toilet."

Nagiyev, a member of the defence team, said that after the incident investigators opened a separate probe into hazing with Shamsutdinov and several others named as victims.

The soldier's supporters have created a page on VKontakte, Russia's biggest social media network, called "Saving Private Ramil Shamsutdinov."

Military conscription is compulsory in Russia for all male citizens aged between 18 and 27.

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