A 16-year-old student opened fire at the 633 training center on Nauki Avenue, in the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region. Four young people were wounded. Police arrived quickly, seized the weapon, and placed the teenager in custody for processing. His father was summoned to the station as part of the investigation.
Medical teams reported that the four injured youths were sent to hospitals for treatment. Officers noted that the school staff had raised the alarm, describing that a ninth-grade pupil discharged an airgun in a bathroom during recess after the first lesson, with additional shots fired at two seventh-graders on the way to the school building before classes began. The health authorities’ Telegram channel confirmed that the injuries were not life-threatening, allowing for non-hospital care in many cases.
A criminal case has been opened against the teenager under paragraph 2 of article 213 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code, concerning hooliganism. Investigators in St. Petersburg stated that a measure of restraint had been chosen and charges would be brought. They noted that five students were reported as injured in initial statements—two before school and three during recess—though later updates described slightly different timings and numbers.
gun and metal detector
The Kalininsky district administration told agencies that the ninth grader used a plastic gun and plastic bullets, which allowed him to pass through the school metal detector without triggering alarms. Officials added that the student came from a family with prior social challenges and was registered with a local youth agency. A spokesperson framed today’s actions as an attempt to frighten other pupils in a joking manner.
According to reporting, the weapon was allegedly purchased on an online marketplace by the teenager who goes by the nickname Daredevil. The pupil lived with his father; his mother was serving a sentence under Article 228. A district checkpoint listed a prior theft in the youth’s biography, with a trial anticipated soon.
Additional information from conversations with students at the education center indicated that a stun device was brought to school, bought from another market in Russia a few weeks earlier. Friends noted that the device did not hold their attention and that the student’s pattern of misbehavior had been mostly outside school grounds before this incident.
A Fontanka correspondent who visited the school building observed that students entered with electronic passes through a turnstile. There is a metal frame at the school, but it is rarely used due to its remote layout and the guards do not perform frequent checks, the reporter said.
One pupil described the events: “We were in the restroom when a man pulled out a gas pistol above the cylinders and said, ‘Want to see?’ Some peers responded, ‘Sure.’ Then shots were fired—aimed at the back and the legs. Later, even after the next recess, another seventh-grader was shot in the bathroom.”
Commentary from OZON
A representative for the e-commerce platform could not confirm in discussions with socialbites.ca that the young man bought the gun from their site. Law enforcement has not yet contacted the company about the matter. The platform noted that air pistols are listed for sale and that the muzzle energy of such devices on the site is under 3 joules. Under current gun laws in Russia, air guns with muzzle energy below 3 joules are not considered weapons and are sold without age restrictions. The site stressed that the catalog only includes these lower-energy pneumatic devices.
The marketplace clarified that before items are accepted for sale, a conformity certificate and a test report must be provided, and listings do not go live until the seller supplies the required documents. Higher-energy firearms and most air guns are not available on OZON.