A seventh-grade pupil at School No. 2 in the Siberian city of Kansk was detained on September 1 after spraying teachers with pepper spray, throwing a flammable mixture, and attacking an instructor with a knife.
During her initial interrogation, the girl told investigators that classroom bullying and a lack of understanding from teachers pushed her to take radical action, according to Telegram news channel Mash.
The violence occurred on the morning of September 1, as schools across Russia gathered for festive assemblies to mark Knowledge Day, the traditional start of the academic year. Before the ceremony began, the pupil sprayed pepper spray at several teachers and threw a combustible mixture on the third floor near a chemistry classroom.
She then attacked a female teacher with a knife inside the building. The assault was halted when the mother of one of the students pushed the attacker into the corridor, where school staff members restrained her.
Security measures and student background
Security infrastructure at the school building had registered the girl's entry earlier that morning. Metal detector arches installed at the main entrance were operational at the time and went off as she walked into the school.
Prior to the incident, the student had not been placed on any official preventative monitoring register, a tracking system used by Russian authorities and educational institutions to monitor youth deemed at risk of delinquency or behavioral issues. School officials had logged no prior complaints regarding her conduct, and she had never consulted a school psychologist.
She is currently in a state of shock following her detention by school staff. Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the attack.
School No. 2 is located in Kansk, an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai in eastern Siberia. Knowledge Day is celebrated annually across Russia on September 1, bringing students, families, and educators together for ceremonial assemblies known as lineykas before regular coursework begins. Seventh-grade pupils in Russian secondary schools are typically around 12 or 13 years old.
