KAZAN, Russia -- Five children and four adults wounded in a deadly attack on a school in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan this week have been transferred to hospitals in Moscow as President Vladimir Putin pledged tighter gun controls for a nation "shaken" by the tragedy.
A spokeswoman for Tatarstan's president, Lidia Galimova, said on May 13 that lives of the 14 children injured in the shooting are out of danger and they were being treated in Kazan following the attack two days earlier.
Ilnaz Galyaviyev, 19, appeared in court on May 12 on suspicion of setting off an explosion in the school before opening fire on students as they scurried to flee the building, some jumping from third-floor windows to escape the carnage.
At the arraignment, investigators said Galyaviyev, who was dressed in black, detonated a handmade explosive device at the entrance to an elementary class in Kazan's School No. 175 that did not hurt anyone. He then fired 17 shots from a firearm that killed seven students, a teacher, and a school employee.
Galyaviyev pleaded guilty to the charge of murder of two or more persons by methods dangerous for public. If found guilty he could face life in prison.
Putin said at a meeting with government officials via video link on May 13 that all those affected by “this barbaric crime” would “receive all the necessary support and assistance."
"The tragedy has definitely shaken all of us. In these difficult days, all in Russia have been and remain with the residents of Kazan, with Tatarstan.... Again, I express my deepest condolences to relatives of the deceased, to the families that lost...their children, grandchildren, their loved ones," Putin said.
Questions have arisen over Galyaviyev's mental health as the authorities try to find a motive for the mass shooting.
Galyaviyev said that he had no medical condition, but the Investigative Committee said on May 12 that although he had not been treated or registered at a psychiatric institution, he was diagnosed in 2020 with a brain disorder disease known as encephalopathy.
The Investigative Committee, which handles investigations into serious crimes, added that Galyaviev's relatives had noticed him behaving aggressively and having a short temper this year, noting that he had repeatedly sought medical treatment for severe headaches.
The deadliest school attack in post-Soviet Russia aside from the infamous 2004 Beslan siege, which left hundreds dead, has stunned the country.
The head of Russia's Muslim-majority region of Tatarstan, where Kazan is the main city, has called the attack a national tragedy.
The Kremlin has called for tighter gun controls in a country that already has strict restrictions on civilian firearm ownership.
However, some categories of gun are available for purchase for hunting, self-defense, or sport, once would-be owners have passed tests and met other requirements.
Putin said on May 13 that in order to prevent attacks like the one in Kazan, authorities need to “seriously raise the requirements for civilian gun owners and tighten control over civilian gun circulation.”
“Decisions here need to be well-founded and definitely tough,” he said, adding that officials granting gun-ownership permits need to be held accountable for their actions as well.
The nine victims of the attack were buried at various locations in Tatarstan on May 12.
