On 26 September 2022, a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

occurred at a school in

Izhevsk Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city i ...

Udmurtia Udmurtia (russian: Удму́ртия, r=Udmúrtiya, p=ʊˈdmurtʲɪjə; udm, Удмуртия, ''Udmurtija''), or the Udmurt Republic (russian: Удмуртская Республика, udm, Удмурт Республика, Удмурт � ...

, in west-central Russia. Eighteen people were killed and 23 others were wounded before the gunman, identified as Artem Kazantsev, committed suicide.

Events

The

occurred at School No. 88 () in Izhevsk, Udmurtia, Russia at around 10:52 AM. Armed with two pistols and a large supply of ammunition, the gunman, Artem Kazantsev, entered the school and opened fire on several classrooms. Throughout the shooting, he burst through several classrooms and indiscriminately fired on those inside. The gunman then entered an empty classroom and shot himself in the head. Videos of the aftermath were posted by the investigative committee, which included images of the interior of the school and Kazantsev's body lying on the floor of the classroom.

Victims

Kazantsev killed 17 people at the school. The victims include 11 students aged 7 to 15 years, two security guards, two teachers, and two other adults. Twenty-four people were wounded, including 22 children. One of the injured, a 67-year-old woman, died on 8 November, increasing the death toll to 18.

Investigation

Investigators searched Kazantsev's residence and probed reports of his potential

neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...

and

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...

after reports emerged that he was involved in a neo-fascist organization or group. The weapons used were found to be two "traumatic" pistols, a form of non-lethal firearm used by law enforcement that had been converted to fire live ammunition and obtained illegally. It was also braided with key chains honoring Columbine massacre perpetrators,

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold (; September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were an American mass murder duo who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Harris and Klebold ...

Perpetrator

According to the Investigative Committee, the shooter was 34-year-old Artem Kazantsev, born in 1988, a native of Izhevsk and a former student of the school. It was reported that he was wearing a T-shirt with

Nazi symbols The 20th-century German Nazi Party made extensive use of graphic symbols, especially the ''swastika'', notably in the form of the swastika flag, which became the co-national flag of Nazi Germany in 1933, and the sole national flag in 1935. A ...

and a balaclava. According to the Head of Udmurtia Aleksandr Brechalov, Kazantsev was registered as an outpatient at a mental health facility with a diagnosis of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

. According to an email written by Kazantsev 20 minutes prior to the shooting, the attack was not a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

incident.

Reactions

Kremlin Press Secretary The Kremlin Press Secretary or officially Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation (Russian: ''Пресс-Секретарь Президента Российской Федерации'') is a senior official in the Presidentia ...

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.neo-fascist organisation or group". Aleksandr Brechalov, the

head of the Udmurt Republic The position of the Head of the Udmurt Republic is the highest office within the Government of the Udmurt Republic in Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern ...

, declared three days of mourning. Words of condolences to the relatives of the victims and the injured were expressed by

Russian president The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

Russian prime minister The chairman of the government of the Russian Federation, also informally known as the prime minister, is the nominal head of government of Russia. Although the post dates back to 1905, its current form was established on 12 December 1993 fo ...

Mikhail Mishustin Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin ( rus, links=no, Михаил Владимирович Мишустин, , mixɐˈil vlɐˈdʲimʲirəvʲitɕ miˈʂusʲtʲɪn; born 3 March 1966) is a Russian politician and economist serving as the prime minist ...

, and heads and representatives of the country's regions. Spontaneous memorials were organized in a number of cities of Russia and abroad. The heads and representatives of foreign states and international organizations, including

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the U.S. Embassy in Russia expressed their condolences, as well as words of condemnation of the shooting.

References

{{reflist 2022 murders in Russia 2022 mass shootings in Europe 2022 suicides 21st-century mass murder in Russia Mass murder in 2022 September 2022 events in Russia September 2022 crimes in Europe Mass shootings in Russia Murder–suicides in Europe Neo-Nazism in Russia School shootings in Russia School killings in Russia Columbine High School massacre copycat crimes Suicides in Russia

School shooting A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple c ...

History of Udmurtia