Shooting incident in school in Russia kills at least 17, injures another 24 - gunman takes his own life

A gunman opens fire in a school in central Russia, kills at least 17 people and injures another 24 before committing suicide. The tragic incident happened in the city of Izhevsk, a city located some 600 miles east of Moscow. Russian authorities have identified the gunman. He was in his early 30s and a graduate of the same school. It seems he wore a black T-shirt bearing “Nazi symbols.” His motives are still shrouded in mystery. The dead included 11 children. Another 22 children suffered injuries in the attack. According to the governor of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, the gunman was registered as a patient at a psychiatric facility. He committed suicide after the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the attack as “inhuman.” Russia: At least 17 dead, 24 wounded in Izhevsk school shooting. A spokesman of the Kremlin said - “President Putin deeply mourns the deaths of people, children, at a school where there was a terrorist attack by a person, who apparently belongs to a neo-fascist group.” He added - the president wishes for the recovery of those injured as a result of this inhuman terrorist attack.

Authorities of Russia reveals that the gunman used two non-lethal handguns adapted to fire real bullets. The guns were not registered. The authorities have launched criminal investigation into the incident on charges of multiple murders and illegal possession of firearms. After the incident, students were made to evacuate the premises and it was cordoned off. The school caters to children aged six to 17. The population of the city of Izhevsk is about 640,000 people and it is located west of the Ural Mountains in central Russia. While shooting in schools is more frequent in the United States and many other countries, it is not so in Russia. In April 2022, a man killed two children and a teacher at a kindergarten in the central Ulyanovsk region before killing himself. Before that, in May 2021, a lone teenage gunman opened fire in the city of Kazan and killed nine people. Seven of them were children. In another incident of 2018, a student at a college in Russian-annexed Crimea killed 20 people. Then he committed suicide. Incidentally, in Russia, military service is compulsory for men aged between 18 and 27. There have been a few incidents in the past of death from gun violence in the military.

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The war between Russia and Ukraine is into its second week. Kremlin describes it not as a war but a “special military operation.” That is how President Vladimir V. Putin looks at it. He believes that everything is going according to plan. However, the ground realities tend to paint a different picture. Russia has not been able to seize and control any of the major cities or population centers. These include Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. In the process, Russia has lost many of its weapons and soldiers. The government of Ukraine has indicated the Russian losses as staggering.

NYTimes dated 8 March 2022 says loss of Russian soldiers is in excess of 12000. The Ukraine military has shot down or destroyed 48 of their airplanes and 80 helicopters. It has also captured or destroyed 303 tanks and innumerable mechanized vehicles and cars. Moreover, they have even taken out two Russian naval vessels, including a warship and blown up dozens of fuel tanker and mobile missile launching systems. These figures are difficult to verify but President Volodymyr Zelensky said - “Russia has not lost as much aircraft in the past 30 years as in 13 days in Ukraine.” Incidentally, satellite imagery tends to suggest loss of roughly 950 Russian vehicles. These include 140 tanks that have either been destroyed or damaged.

Is a war imminent as Kremlin sends new Su-35S fighter jets to the Finnish border

Kremlin has sent four Sukhoi Su-35S jets, Russia's 'super-maneuverable' state-of-the-art fighter jets to the base in Karelia. This squadron of fighter jets has been deployed to a Russian air base located less than 200-Km from the border with Finland.
Kremlin officials have indicated that these planes will help protect Russia's northwestern frontier.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 9 December 2016.

Sukhoi Su-35S jets are capable of supersonic speeds and are the best fighter planes in the Russian fleet. They can carry guided 'air-to-air' class missiles, apart from anti-submarine missiles and guided aerial bombs. They are also equipped with cannons which can fire 1,500 rounds per minute, and are well equipped for dodging missiles.
After Russian missiles were deployed in Kaliningrad last month, Finland's defence minister had said that officials hoped that military activity in the Baltic Sea can 'calm down'. They wanted to see the military situation calm down in the Baltic Sea, instead of escalating.


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Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war

If recent indications are anything to go by, it is evident that tensions between the US and Russia have escalated to their worst levels since the Cold War - both sides appear to be preparing for conflict. Moscow has been prepping up its civilians for potential war by instructing them to check on the availability of bomb shelters and gas masks.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 October 2016.

These instructions are believed to have been in response to news that CIA is preparing for a possible cyber attack on the Kremlin to embarrass its leadership. In the opinion of defense experts, Russia is not keen on war but is actually throwing its weight around to deter western countries from intervening with its bombing in Syria.
It is understood that Kremlin has taken the help of its state-sponsored television to guide citizens on how to prepare in the event of an attack on Russian soil. Among some important activities for civilians are to familiarize themselves with the nearest bomb shelters and clarifying which government bodies would take command in the breakout of war.
These developments are against the backdrop of the administration of US President Barack Obama preparing for a possible cyber strike on the Kremlin to ensure that Russian hackers are not able to interfere with the Presidential vote in November. It seems the CIA has already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation.


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Russia recalling its people fearing a global war with the United States

It is understood that Russia is ordering all of its officials to fly home any relatives living abroad amid heightened tensions over the prospect of global war with the United States. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has also warned that the world is at a 'dangerous point' as a result of rising tensions between the super powers Russia and the US.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 12 October 2016.

It seems politicians and high-ranking officials have received a warning from president Vladimir Putin to bring their loved-ones home to the 'Motherland'. This is after President Putin cancelled a planned visit to France. It is a fallout of a furious row over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict.
Moreover, it was just days after it was revealed that the Kremlin had moved nuclear-capable missiles near to the Polish border. The Iskander missiles that have been sent to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, are now within range of major Western cities including Berlin.
The instructions are for all administration staff, regional administrators, lawmakers of all levels and employees of public corporations to take their children out of foreign schools immediately. Those who do not comply could jeopardize their chances of promotion.
It is no secret that relations between Russia and the US are at their lowest since the Cold War and have become worse in recent days after Washington pulled the plug on Syria talks and accused Russia of hacking attacks.


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Some more interesting links -

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Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000