Mass shooter kills 20 in non-political attack in Crimea

A mass shooter killed 20 people and wounded 50 (12
critically) at a technical college in the city of Kerch on Oct. 17 in Russian-occupied
Crimea. The murderer, identified by authorities as 18-year-old Vladislav
Rosliakov, shot himself in the killing spree in which he used a 12 caliber
assault rifle. The shooting was motivated by the student’s resentment towards
his colleagues and had no political motive, according to various Russian news
reports. Russian law enforcement authorities changed the crime’s status from
terrorism to murder the evening of Oct. 17.

Zenon Zawada: Although
the shooting had no apparent political motive, it has already become a
political football in the context of the highly polarized conflict between
Russia and Ukraine. Though it won’t affect geopolitics, it reflects the
heightened appeal of violence among Ukrainian youth and access to heavy
weaponry, both of which are likely consequences in a protracted war.