MOSCOW, Russia – A Russian teenager attempted to blow himself up at an Orthodox school near a 14th century convent south of Moscow on Monday, injuring at least another pupil, according to the interior ministry.
Similar attacks on schools have been more common in Russia in recent years, although instances at religious institutions are uncommon.
It said in a statement that “an 18-year-old graduate of this educational institution entered the premises of the Orthodox gymnasium of the Vvedenskiy Vladychniy convent and blew himself up.”
According to the statement, a 15-year-old was hurt in the incident in Serpukhov, which is located 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Moscow.
The offender was not killed in the bomb, according to preliminary evidence, it stated.
The personnel had been evacuated, according to the ministry, and “information about further victims” was being clarified.
According to several Russian news outlets, up to seven persons were hurt. The school educates students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Andrei Vorobyev, the governor of the Moscow area, did not say how many pupils were injured, but said none were in life-threatening situations.
“All services responded promptly, doctors assisted injured children, and their lives are not in danger,” he added on Telegram.
Prosecutors in Moscow released a video from the scene, which shows police and ambulances outside the convent in the snow.
It also included a video from inside the school of a local prosecutor with Orthodox icons in the backdrop.
The Investigative Committee, which looks into significant crimes, announced that it has initiated a criminal case including attempted murder and illegal explosives handling.
The Committee also stated that investigators had been dispatched to the scene.
In the year 1360, the monastery was founded.
The Russian church has grown in authority dramatically since President Vladimir Putin took office in 2000.
It has a growing effect in formerly secular institutions such as schools, where religion is taught and clerics advocate for orthodox textbooks.
In September, a student on a university campus in Perm, Urals, killed six people and injured scores more.
In the central city of Kazan, a 19-year-old opened fire in his old school, murdering nine people.
Another young gunman shot and killed 20 people at a Kerch technical college in Crimea, which Russia acquired from Ukraine in 2014.
Following the attacks, some Russians have called for tighter gun regulation and increased protection in schools.
