Knife Attack at Russian School Leaves Child Dead, Raises Fears Over Teen Radicalisation

A student carried out a knife attack at a school near Moscow, killing a 10-year-old boy and a security guard. The attacker took a female student hostage before being detained by special forces. Investigators are probing possible links to extremists.

A violent knife attack at a school near Moscow has left a 10-year-old boy dead and a security guard fatally injured. The attacker, a teenage student, was detained by Russian special forces after barricading himself inside the school and taking a female student hostage.

The incident happened on Tuesday at a secondary school in Gorki-2, in the Odintsovo district outside Moscow. Authorities said the situation was brought under control after armed officers stormed the building and rescued the hostage unharmed.

According to investigators, the attacker was a ninth-grade student, aged about 15. He entered the school carrying a knife and pepper spray. Reports said he was wearing a mask and helmet at the time of the attack.

Witnesses said panic spread quickly as students and staff ran through corridors and classrooms. Some students fled outside into freezing temperatures as alarms were raised.

Investigators said the teenager chased a 10-year-old boy inside the school before killing him. A security guard, later identified by Russian media as 32-year-old Dmitry Pavlov, tried to stop the attacker. He was reportedly pepper sprayed and stabbed during the struggle. The guard later died from his injuries.

Hostage situation and police response

After the attack, the teenager barricaded himself inside a room with a female student hostage. Russian special police units were called to the scene.

Special forces later stormed the room and detained the attacker without further loss of life. Officials said the hostage was rescued safely and did not suffer serious injuries.

Authorities have not released the name of the suspect, as he is a minor, in line with Russian law.

Graphic claims have circulated on social media, including reports that the attacker took photos during the attack. Russian authorities have not confirmed these claims publicly.

Officials said they are examining the suspect’s phone and online activity as part of the investigation.

Extremist links under investigation

Images shared online showed the suspect wearing a T-shirt with the words “No Lives Matter” and a Kolovrat symbol, an ancient Slavic sun wheel that has been linked to extremist groups.

Russian investigators said the teenager may have been influenced by an online group known as “No Lives Matter”, which they described as an extremist community targeting isolated teenagers through social media.

Law enforcement agencies are now checking whether the suspect had contact with extremist groups or followed violent content online.

Official reaction and political claims

Russian officials said the motive is still under investigation. Some officials have suggested that external forces may be involved in online radicalisation, including claims that Ukraine played a role. These claims have not been supported by public evidence.

Experts have warned that online extremism and nihilistic ideologies are increasingly reaching teenagers through social networks.

Pattern of school attacks raises concern

This attack is the third major school-related violent incident in Russia in recent years.

In 2021, a school shooting in Kazan left nine people dead. In 2022, an attack in Izhevsk killed 17 people. In 2023, a 14-year-old girl shot a classmate before taking her own life in Bryansk.

After previous attacks, President Vladimir Putin tightened gun laws. However, experts note that many recent attacks have involved knives rather than firearms.

The latest incident has renewed questions about school safety measures in Russia. Critics say metal detectors, panic buttons and security guards often fail to prevent attacks.

Some observers have also pointed out that a former Interior Ministry unit that monitored online activity among young people was disbanded years ago. They argue such monitoring might have helped detect warning signs earlier. Russian authorities said a full investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events, the attacker’s mental state and any ideological influence behind the violence.