A Generation on Edge: The Rising Tide of School Violence in Russia
Recent weeks have witnessed a disturbing surge in violent incidents within Russian schools, from stabbings and shootings to arson and assaults. A seventh-grade boy in the Moscow region stabbed a classmate, a Ufa teenager shot a teacher with an airsoft gun, and a 17-year-old in Anapa opened fire at a technical college, killing a security guard. These are not isolated events; they represent a worrying trend.
The Numbers Tell a Grim Story
Data compiled by school psychologist Yury Lapshin and social anthropologist Alexandra Arkhipova reveals a significant increase in school violence. Of 117 recorded incidents since 2000, roughly half have occurred in the past five years, with 51 cases documented in the last five years alone, including 2026. This represents a steady and concerning growth.
The Paradox of Control: Increased Security, Increased Violence
Ironically, the rise in school violence coincides with increasingly stringent security measures. Following the 2004 Beslan school siege, and subsequent attacks in 2014 and 2018, schools have become more “closed spaces,” with tighter controls on entry and increased surveillance. However, these measures haven’t prevented students from bringing weapons inside.
“Schools are becoming more and more closed spaces,” explains Lapshin. “While this has helped schools more effectively prevent outsiders from entering, they cannot stop enrolled students from bringing weapons inside.”
The focus on perimeter security has inadvertently shifted the location of incidents inside school buildings. As Lapshin notes, “In the past, someone could say: ‘Let’s go outside and talk.’ Now everything happens inside the school.” The most “free” place in a school, he points out, is the bathroom, where cameras are typically absent and tricky conversations take place.
The Militarization of Education and Normalization of Violence
Experts suggest a link between the surge in school violence and the broader normalization of force in Russian society, particularly following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Militaristic discourse is becoming increasingly prevalent, framing war not only as heroic but as a legitimate means of conflict resolution.
Clinical psychologist Alexandra Ivanova notes that exposure to these narratives, coupled with a perceived lack of accountability for violence, can distort teenagers’ perceptions of conflict. Reports have surfaced of men returning from the war in Ukraine committing violent crimes and avoiding punishment by re-enlisting, while military servicemen, including Wagner mercenaries, have regularly visited schools to speak to students.
“When violence is normalized in society — and it is being normalized now — plus the absence of punishment, which they likewise see and hear about, these people who come back from the war and what they are allowed to do without consequences — then teenagers don’t have an adequate picture of reality,” Ivanova said.
Former school videographer Pavel Talankin observed a significant shift toward military and patriotic-themed lessons after the 2022 invasion. Schools received prepared lesson plans, presentations, and videos promoting a pro-war narrative. He also witnessed military personnel demonstrating weapons to students, explaining their use and effectiveness.
Surveillance, “Risk Groups,” and the Erosion of Trust
In response to the escalating violence, authorities have implemented increased surveillance and introduced “advisers for educational work” tasked with identifying at-risk students. This often involves monitoring students’ social media activity and reporting concerns to the police. However, critics argue that this approach effectively turns teachers into informants.
Guidelines distributed to educators in 2024 classify school shootings alongside extremist ideologies and link school violence to foreign influence. The document lists warning signs – such as social isolation and criticism of political leaders – that psychologists say are typical of adolescence and not necessarily indicative of violent tendencies.
The Unseen Struggles: Why Students Suffer in Silence
Lapshin emphasizes that students who resort to violence often do so after prolonged periods of suffering, frequently stemming from bullying, peer conflicts, or feelings of exclusion. “For a teenager to resort to violence, they have to feel bad for a long time,” he says. “Adults don’t notice them. Or don’t seek to notice.”
Effective prevention, he argues, requires time and attention – resources that are increasingly scarce in the Russian education system. Teachers are often overburdened, leaving them with limited capacity to provide individualized support and build trusting relationships with students.
Talankin adds that some teachers contribute to the problem through their own behavior, resorting to shouting, humiliation, and bullying. This creates an environment where students feel alienated and unable to turn to adults for help.
Looking Ahead: A Cycle of Violence?
The experts warn that without significant changes, the cycle of school violence is likely to continue. “If nothing changes, the series [of attacks] will continue,” Lapshin predicts. “We will face such problems in society… These children will graduate from school, and then they will have children of their own and raise them. It doesn’t look optimistic. This will last for many years — for a generation ahead.”
