A seventh-grade student attacked staff and classmates at a school in the Krasnoyarsk region town of Kansk, injuring seven people on the first day back to school on Tuesday.
Five children and two adults were treated at a local hospital and discharged for outpatient care, the regional health ministry told the RBC news outlet.
Regional investigators confirmed they launched a criminal probe into the “incident,” saying they were establishing the circumstances and determining the motives behind the “crime committed by the minor.”
The attack occurred at School No. 2 in Kansk, which is located 230 kilometers (143 miles) east of Krasnoyarsk and 3,350 kilometers (2,082 miles) from Moscow.
Unverified reporting by Telegram news channels with links to Russia’s security services claimed that the 13-year-old student discharged pepper spray and drew a knife. One of the teachers was reportedly stabbed in the back, while all seven victims sustained burns to the face and eyes.
“Her eyes were wild,” one of the eyewitnesses was quoted as saying, describing the girl’s frantic behavior before the assault.
Another student’s mother reportedly tackled and pushed the attacker into the hallway. One of the Telegram news channels claimed the girl had been bullied at school.
The Moscow Times was unable to independently verify these reports.
Russia saw an uptick in attacks at schools and universities in the 2025-26 academic year.
The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative body, opened eight criminal probes into school attacks committed by teenagers in the first half of 2026, the agency’s chief, Alexander Bastrykin, said in June.
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