Student Reportedly Stabs Teacher at Russian High School
- By Matt Jones
- May 21, 2021
A 17-year-old tenth grade student reportedly attacked a physics teacher with a knife in the Russian city of Berezniki, east of Moscow. Authorities were conducting what they called an attempted murder investigation as of Friday morning, and they are currently in the process of questioning witnesses and establishing a motive.
The Perm department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that the student “committed illegal acts against the teacher, using an object similar to a knife.” Witnesses say that during a lesson, the student entered the classroom, retrieved the weapon from his bag, and stabbed the teacher in the throat. According to Newsweek, classes have been canceled and students have been given the opportunity to receive counseling.
The victim has been identified as Lyudmila Ishmeneva, 74, a retired teacher who recently returned to the classroom to assist during a teacher shortage. Ishmeneva is a nationally recognized educator and has received the “Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation” title. According to Anastasia Kruten, head of the region’s Health Ministry, the victim was in “moderately severe” condition after receiving treatment for a stab wound in the neck.
According to Russian news outlet Kommersant, the school—Lyceum No. 1—is guarded by a private security company but does not have a metal detector. Following the alleged stabbing, the student was held by a private security guard until police arrived to take him into custody.
Regional children’s rights ombudsman Svetlana Denisova said that the suspect was not registered with the school. “Everyone is in shock,” she said. “They cannot understand what happened. Was it a conflict with the teacher? Or just some kind of malfunction in the child’s behavior? It is too early to express judgments. The teacher is hospitalized, the boy will incur criminal punishment. He is in the tenth grade and is subject to criminal liability.”