"Not a villain. Overwhelmed by emotion": Irkutsk Region Governor Promises to "Draw the Right Conclusions" After a Teenager Kills Two Girls

Igor Kobzev stated that the tragedy in Shelekhov — a reason to reflect on how often children are listened to and heard in Russia. In his opinion, sometimes a simple conversation, advice, and support are enough to help a teenager "cope with an emotional storm."

“We understand perfectly well that the guy who found himself in the current situation with a knife in his hands is not a villain, — the head wrote Irkutsk region. "At school, they only say good things about him, that he never refused to help others. He was overwhelmed by emotions, anger, and jealousy, which he couldn't control, and this is the result."

Kobzev promised that the regional parents' committee meeting would discuss further steps to help teachers and parents "draw the right conclusions" from the Shelekhov murder.

"A positive teenager? Why did he carry a knife?" "What do you mean, not a villain, but he couldn't control his emotions? Are we going to rehabilitate criminals now?" "He's such a sweetheart, but he took the lives of two people. There's no excuse for that. We have a lot of things brewing, too, but we don't reach for knives," Residents of the Irkutsk region did not agree with their governor.

The teenager's attack in Shelekhov is not the first such incident in the region. At the end of September, an eighth-grader from the city Winter attacked a classmate with a knife. In September 2024, a 13-year-old boy from the village Balagansk He came to school with a hammer and beat up his peers.

Similar news comes with alarming frequency from other regions of Russia. For example, Arkhangelsk resident attacked teachers at the technical school from which he had previously been expelled with a knife. And in Moscow A 16-year-old teenager injured two girls with a hammer.