17 killed, dozens wounded in school shooting in Russia

At least 17 people were killed and 24 others injured during a shooting Monday at School No. 88 in Izhevsk, Russia.

Authorities said 11 children were killed in the attack, as well as a school security guard and two teachers.

The gunman has been identified as Artyom Kazantsev, 34, a former student at the school. Kazantsev was a patient at a local psychiatric facility, and arrived at the school wearing a black T-shirt with "Nazi symbols" on it, Russia's Investigative Committee said. After the attack, Kazantsev died by suicide.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

This was the act of a "terrorist," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. An investigation has been opened into how the suspect acquired two non-lethal handguns found at the scene that had been modified to fire bullets.

Izhevsk is in central Russia, and is the capital of the Udmurt Republic. Compared to the United States, school shootings are rare in Russia, but "may be becoming more common, with three mass shootings at educational institutions since May last year," The Washington Post says.