Not just Arkhangelsk: the new school year began with an epidemic of cruelty

An armed 18-year-old Arkhangelsk resident entered the building of the Technical School of Construction and Municipal Economy, from which he had recently been expelled. The regional Investigative Committee's press service told TASS that three employees were wounded in the attack: a teacher, a teacher, and a cloakroom attendant.

According to Telegram channel 112 , the teacher was hospitalized in serious condition and is undergoing surgery. The source reports that she tried to stop the expelled student from attacking the Russian language teacher, who was the attacker's homeroom teacher and became the second victim.

"A criminal case has been opened against an 18-year-old resident of the regional center, suspected of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 30, paragraphs "a, i" of Part 2 of Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code (Attempted murder of two persons, committed out of hooligan motives)," the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Arkhangelsk Region and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug stated .

The attacker was prevented from carrying out a full-scale reprisal by other students, from whom he was forced to flee. Once outside, he was disarmed, subdued, and handed over to law enforcement.

"The suspect was neutralized by students in the building and handed over to the arriving patrol police," the regional police department reported .

According to media reports, the issue of awarding a prize to the students who neutralized the knife-wielding insane individual is being considered.

The most common suspected motive for the attack is revenge for expulsion. This theory was cited by Izvestia's source and other sources. The main target was the class teacher, who allegedly participated in the faculty meeting regarding the expulsion.

Entering the college with a gun turned out to be easy—there was a security guard at the entrance checking passes. According to students, there's no metal detector at the entrance. What would have happened if the attacker had arrived with a firearm?

Remarkably, a couple of hours before the attack, the former student deleted all posts from his VKontakte page and then posted an image of a man firing a gun. Along with the gun, the image included the words "I deny, defend, overthrow" (in English). These words were engraved on the bullet casings by the assailant who attacked UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed in the United States in December 2024.

As Mash reports, back in 2024, a young man created a detailed model of a college in Minecraft. In the published video, the young man shoots both students and staff with various weapons.

According to the publication, the attacker's mother didn't know where her son got the knife he brought to college, nor his intentions. His sister said he was bullied by classmates: he reported smoking in the restroom to teachers, and the college administration, she said, revealed the informant's name.

According to media reports, the young man told his parents he was attending classes, but instead went out for walks around the city. According to his girlfriend, he claimed he didn't want to enroll anywhere, but his parents forced him to. Judging by the correspondence, his classmates tried to persuade him to study to avoid expulsion, but he demonstrated complete reluctance. A year ago, the young man left the group chat, apologizing for any conflicts or disagreements he might have had with his classmates.

"Maybe we'll see each other again. Thank you," he concluded his message.

Mash claims the former student was a regular on Ukrainian channels featuring memes and Russophobia. According to the source, he made negative comments about Russians in game chats and online.

Friends and relatives note that the former student was quiet, calm, and had poor interaction with his peers.

"The guy didn't seem like a confrontational guy, he kept a low profile, and he was quiet. No one expected him to show up at the technical school wearing a mask and carrying a knife," one of the college students told Pod'em .

"He was a peculiar person... Artemy's (the attacker – Ed.) classmates disliked him and 'perceived him as a freak.' He couldn't make friends, was withdrawn at school, and spent his time on his phone," URA.RU reports, citing another student.

"Another student added that he knew the attacker. According to him, Artemy K. was unsociable and somewhat shady, " Abzats writes.

The attacker's mother learned of the incident from reporters, which came as a complete surprise. She said her son had been acting as usual that morning.

Interestingly, the teenager's problems with academic performance and attendance began after entering college. At school, he was a model student and an active participant, successfully participating in aircraft modeling competitions. In college, he studied to become an air conditioning installer and plumber.

The incident in Arkhangelsk was the first high-profile attack on an educational institution since the end of the summer holidays. Investigators will investigate the motives and circumstances of the attack. Questions have also arisen regarding the college's security, which will likely now face serious investigations. Incidentally, a criminal case has already been opened under paragraph "c" of Part 2 of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code (Provision of services that do not meet consumer safety requirements, resulting in serious bodily harm through negligence).

Since the beginning of 2025, similar incidents have occurred in Russia, in which teenagers used weapons against peers and teachers. For example, in March in Nizhny Novgorod, an eighth-grader attacked two classmates with a knife during class, and in the Moscow region, a student attacked a teacher armed with a hammer. Four days before the events in Arkhangelsk, in the Irkutsk city of Zima, a 14-year-old student mowed down a classmate during class.

Whatever the final straw for the former Arkhangelsk college student—resentment over expulsion, perceived bullying, or a sense of profound injustice—his actions fit into a broader and disturbing pattern observed since the beginning of the school year. Violence, in this pattern, becomes a "justifiable" means.

In the first days of autumn , a series of incidents emerged in various regions of Russia . Groups of teenagers beat up their misbehaving peers, forcing them to kneel and apologize on camera, and also attacked homeless people and those leading antisocial lifestyles. The "fight against biowaste," as some of the attackers called it, culminated not only in beatings but also in days-long bullying and even murder.

Social psychologist Alexey Roshchin, speaking with NI, noted that calls to "burn out all sedition with fire and sword" have permeated the media at all levels. He believes violence is becoming normalized in society, which explains the need to defend one's views by force. The expert emphasized that the promotion of aggression in the country's media landscape impacts not only children and adolescents but also their parents, who often share their children's views.

The slogans posted on the Arkhangelsk attacker's page fit this concept perfectly. It's the same old violence, disguised as a "noble" idea.

Thus, the stabbing at the Arkhangelsk college became yet another alarm bell, as dialogue is increasingly being replaced by force, and justice is being sought with a knife in hand.