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According to the authorities, Vladislav Roslyakov, an 18-year-old student, blew up explosives and opened fire on Wednesday at the Polytechnic College of Kerch before committing suicide. Initially considered a terrorist attack, officials later called it mass murder.
"The nightmare of shooting at schools has now come to us," Alexey Navalny, leader of the Russian opposition, said in a tweet, offering his condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded.
The tragedy was dubbed "Crimean Columbine" by local commentators, referring to the 1999 assault on Columbine High School in Colorado, in which two students slaughtered a dozen of their comrades before committing suicide.
Kerch is a city located east of Crimea, a peninsula of the Black Sea annexed by Ukraine to Russia in 2014. The West has condemned the annexation and still considers that Crimea is part of Ukraine.
The police outside the college where the attack took place.
Photo:
Grigoryev Maxim / Zuma Press
The latest armed attack in a school in Russia dates back to 2014 when a student in Moscow shot dead a teacher and a police officer. According to official data, there were five attacks in schools in Russia this year, in which several children were injured. These incidents involved knives, axes or air guns.
Wednesday's attack sparked a debate in the Russian press and social media on school campus security, especially in small towns, and how Mr. Roslyakov was able to buy a gun in fire.
Russian citizens aged 18 or older have the right to buy certain firearms, such as hunting rifles and self-defense weapons. To obtain a license, they must pass a background check, medical examinations and training, among other requirements, in accordance with the Russian Penal Code. The penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm ranges from a fine to four years in prison.
The official media agency RIS Novosti announced that a month ago, Mr. Roslyakov had passed the necessary medical examinations, including a medical examination with a psychiatrist.
A woman is crying Thursday during a religious service for the victims.
Photo:
str / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images
Speaking at a global forum of specialists that was held Thursday in the Russian city of Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the attack on globalization.
"On social networks, on the Internet, we see that entire communities have been created," said Putin. "Young people who have an unstable psyche create themselves fake heroes. They catch this substitute for heroism. This leads to tragedies like this. "
The authorities indicated that the specific circumstances of the crime and the motive of the suspect were still under investigation. Some local media, citing college students, reported that Mr. Roslyakov had a dispute with teachers at the school.
The Russian investigation committee said that the apartment where Mr. Roslyakov lived with his mother had been searched, as well as the houses of his relatives, and that the investigators seized several items related to the house. ;case.
The Crimean government said that among the dead were 15 students, including six minors. Five other people were also killed and about 50 injured.
Most of the victims died from gunshot wounds, while the explosion was caused by an explosive device filled with "metal components," Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova told reporters.
Pucks and metal balls were found in the liver, intestines and veins of the victims, said Ms Skvortsova. Many of the wounded have lost feet and legs, torn organs and strong soft tissue lacerations.
"That was the strength of this blow," she said.
– Olga Padorina and Nonna Fomenko contributed to this article.
