Two children among four dead in Russia kindergarten shooting

Four people, including two children, died after a man opened fire at a kindergarten in Russia's central Ulyanovsk region on Tuesday.

The others who were killed in the shooting at Ryabinka kindergarten, included a teacher and the gunman's 68-year-old neighbour. A junior teacher also received injuries in the incident and is being treated at a hospital.

According to local reports, the teacher had tried to stop the gunman from entering the children's room. There was no guard on duty when the incident took place. The gunman reportedly used to live on the same street as the Ryabinka kindergarten.

The suspect has been identified as Ruslan Akhtyamov, and has been described as mentally ill by locals, according to a report in The Telegraph. He shot himself in the face after his killing spree.

The 26-year-old man used a double-barrelled Izh-26 shotgun to open fire at the kindergarten. He also reportedly had no links with the deceased. One of the kids was 6-years-old, while the other was 5-years-old.

"According to preliminary information, the gun belonged to another person, not to the one who fired," informed regional vice-governor Alexander Korobko.

Ulyanovesk Governor, Aleksey Russkikh, has also expressed shock at the incident and has ordered emergency assistance to the families of the victims.

"I express my deep condolences to the families and friends of the victims. This is an irreplaceable loss for all of us," he said. Meanwhile, the authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.

This is not the first time that Russia has witnessed such an attack on educational institutions. In 2021, nine people were killed in a school in Kazan, Tatarstan, after a man opened fire. The 19-year-old shooter had also detonated a bomb at the school. The incident had forced the government to restrict gun access in the country.