Kerch Polytechnic College Massacre

The Kerch Polytechnic College massacre took place in Kerch, Crimea, on 17 October 2018. It was a school shooting and bombing attack perpetrated by an 18-year-old student, Vladislav Roslyakov, who killed 20 people and wounded 67 others before committing suicide. It was the deadliest school shooting in Russia or Ukraine since the 2004 Beslan school siege.

Incident

Vladislav Roslyakov purchased a shotgun on 8September 2018 and bought 150rounds legally at a gun shop on 13October 2018. He entered the building of Kerch Polytechnic College on 17October 2018 at about 10:02 a.m. A survivor of the incident said that the shooting lasted for more than 15minutes.

Multiple witnesses recounted an individual gunman strolling through the corridors of Kerch Polytechnic College, discharging shots indiscriminately at classmates and teachers. He also fired at computer monitors, locked doors, and fire extinguishers. A large nail bomb was detonated during the attack, and local police said that they deactivated more explosives on the campus. However, there was initial variation in survivors' accounts of the incident, with some claiming that a large bomb exploded and others describing only gunfire and the use of grenades.

CNN reported that state television channel Russia-24 said that 200military personnel had been sent to the location. Eyewitness accounts differ about the time it took for law enforcement to respond, as times differ between 10 and 15minutes even though a police station is across the street, within of the college. The massacre ended when the gunman committed suicide in the college's library. Graphic video footage of the attack was captured by school surveillance cameras and later posted on both the news programme ''Vesti.Krym'''s YouTube channel and on its website. This footage was removed from both sites shortly afterwards.

Victims

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said that most of the victims were teenagers. Fifteen students and five teachers died, but it has been confirmed that there were 21 victims.

The Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova told reporters that a total of 67 people were wounded, 10 of whom were described as being in a "critical" condition, including five in comas.

Crimean State Council speaker Vladimir Konstantinov announced that the victims' families would receive financial compensation, with preliminary discussions suggesting that the payments would be 1 million rubles (USD ) from the Russian federal budget and 1 million rubles from the local budget.

Perpetrator

The attack was perpetrated by a fourth-year student of the college, Vladislav Igorevich Roslyakov (; 2 May 2000 – 17 October 2018). He was 18 years old at the time of the massacre.

When Roslyakov was around ten years old, his parents broke up when his father sustained a severe head injury, after which he became disabled, started drinking alcohol, and abused Roslyakov, his mother, and other relatives. Roslyakov studied at a local school with no interest and poor grades. He had few friends, and his hobbies included weapons and video games. In 2015 he joined the college to study to become an electrician. In college, he developed an interest in explosives and weapons and started to take a knife bayonet to class. One day he discharged pepper spray in a class and failed to explain his actions. His mother, a Jehovah's Witness, limited his social activity, searched his pockets, and refused to allow him to go to the cinema or use a computer, only allowing the latter when he turned 16.

In the days leading up to the attack, Roslyakov stated that he did not believe in the afterlife. On the eve of the attack, according to neighbours, Roslyakov burned a Bible in which he had highlighted verses, along with his mobile phone and other books.

A friend has claimed that Roslyakov "hated the polytechnic very much" and had vowed revenge on his teachers. There were also reports that he may have been bullied. In the days before the attack, he discussed ignorance by others, the lack of purpose in his life, mass shootings, and suicide on social media. Roslyakov was in a number of online communities dedicated to serial and mass killers.

Surveillance footage of the incident shows Roslyakov wearing black trousers and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Russian word "НЕНАВИСТЬ" ("HATRED") as he carries an eight-shot 12-gauge Hatsan Escort Aimguard pump-action shotgun with a pistol grip. His clothing resembled that of Eric Harris, one of the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, leading to speculation that the massacre was a copycat crime. According to some Russian tabloids, he had been a member of various Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris fan clubs on social networks and had informed friends of his belief that "it would be good to have a massacre", specifically referencing the Columbine High School massacre as an example. Furthermore, he had mentioned his belief in the two perpetrators being "awesome". Like perpetrator Eric Harris, Roslyakov committed suicide in the library of the college by shooting himself with his shotgun.

Investigation

Russia's Investigative Committee initially classified the attack as terrorism but later changed it to mass murder.
After the first reports of an alleged terrorist attack in Kerch, many Russian politicians and mass media suggested that the events were the activities of "Ukrainian saboteurs" and that the Ukrainian government was responsible; they changed their views after more information emerged, while others questioned whether Roslyakov was sufficiently checked before being allowed to purchase a gun and ammunition, which Roslyakov legally did.

In the days immediately following the massacre, investigators researched Roslyakov's background in an attempt to establish his precise motive. These investigators also revealed that, ultimately, they were treating the incident as a calculated school shooting. Officials are investigating concerns in the case, such as where Roslyakov got the 30,000–40,000 rubles (–) for the weapon and where he learned to use those weapons. It was discovered that Roslyakov obtained a weapon permit in 2018 and owned the gun legally, after completing legally required training on weapon security and presenting all required documents, including a medical report. He periodically attended a shooting club. Shortly before the shooting, he legally purchased 150 rounds of ammunition.

The Investigative Committee ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Roslyakov postmortem. Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov stated on 18 October that the perpetrator might have had an accomplice, and police were searching for the individual "who was coaching" Roslyakov for the crime. However, on 9 November 2018, the Investigative Committee came to the conclusion that Roslyakov had acted alone.

Aftermath

Students returned to studies on 23 October, with checkpoints at the entrances at which the students' identities were confirmed. A spokesperson for the Rostov Region Directorate of the Russian Emergency Ministry told reporters: "An examination has been carried out. According to the preliminary information, there is no danger of he building'scollapse."

Copycat incidents

* On 28 May 2019, a 15-year-old student named Daniil Pulkin, obsessed with Roslyakov, committed an attack with an axe and Molotov cocktails in Volsk, Saratov Region, Russia, which left a girl seriously wounded. In August 2020, he was sentenced to seven years in prison in a juvenile hall.

* According to the FSB, on 18 February 2020 two Roslyakov's followers, born in 2003 and 2004, were detained in Kerch. According to convictions, teenagers, who were students at a local school and college, were preparing an attacks on their educational institutions using homemade explosive devices (which they tested on animals). In November 2021 older one was sentenced to 4 years in prison, and younger to 7 years.

Reactions

Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov announced that there would be four days of mourning. Crimean State Council speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said that it was impossible to conceive that 18-year-old suspect Vladislav Roslyakov had prepared the attack by himself, saying, "On the ground, he acted alone, that is already known and established, but in my opinion and in the opinion of my colleagues this reprobate could not have carried out the preparations."

Sergei Mikhailovich Smirnov, deputy head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), said the security services needed to have greater control over the Internet. Russian political analyst Sergey Mikheyev on Russian state TV blamed the attack on "Western subculture", claiming that it "builds its matrix on the cult of violence ... the one who has a weapon in his hands is right. This is a purely American approach to the matter." Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi that the attack appeared to be the result of globalisation, social media, and the Internet, and that "everything started with the tragic events in schools in the US ... we're not creating healthy (Internet) content for young people ... which leads to tragedies of this kind." Some saw the remarks as Russians blaming the West for the attack and a linkage with his past as head of the Kremlin and FSB before becoming president, which ''The Irish Times'' said are "suspicious of the internet and social media, seeing them as Western-dominated technologies that can be used to stir up dissent and street protests."

Leaders of several countries expressed their condolences to the victims of the attack, including Armenia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Thailand, the UK, and Venezuela. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed condolences to the victims, whom he described as Ukrainian citizens, stating that the Prosecutor General's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

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