Nine fatalities have been reported so far, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Among the dead was the school’s security guard, according to Alexander Brechalovn, the head of the regional government.
It is not clear if the attacker is alive. Brechalov said the assailant shot himself, but did not say whether he survived.
The shooting took place at School 88 in Izhevsk, the capital of Russia’s Udmurtia region. It has since been evacuated, Brechalovn said.
Izhevsk is home to over 600,000 people, making it one of the 20 most populous cities in Russia. It was founded as a steel settlement in 1760 and remains a prominent industrial center.
The city is perhaps best known as the home of the AK-47 rifle and the longtime residence of the Soviet lieutenant general credited with its development, Mikhail Kalashnikov.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the composer of the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, was born in the Udmurtia region.
This is a developing story. More details to come.