He imagined himself a "god": five years since the shooting at the Kazan gymnasium

On May 11, 2021, nine people were killed in Kazan—seven students from grade 8A and two teachers. The shooter was 19-year-old Ilnaz Galyaviyev, a former student at the same school.

A month before the tragedy, he legally purchased a gun, received a license, and completed weapons training. On the day of the attack, he declared himself a "god," entered the school, and shot people. He didn't know any of the victims.

School attacks are increasingly common in the media these days. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, there have been 13 attacks. Despite Putin's order to tighten regulations on civilian weapons after the Kazan tragedy, this hasn't stopped students from bringing knives, bats, and flare guns to school. It's not the weapons themselves that are the issue—there's a sense that since the war in Ukraine began, society has become embittered, and violence has become the norm.