A gunman has opened fire inside a kindergarten in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, killing at least two children and one adult before turning the gun on himself.
Regional governor Alexey Russkhikh confirmed the four deaths at the Ryabinka kindergarten near the town of Veshkaima.
Russian rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova identified the shooter as local resident Akhtyamov Ruslan, born in 1996. She described him as "mentally ill".
The gunman used a Izh-27 double-barreled shotgun, which was registered to another man with a hunting licence. He was later also found dead, according to deputy governor Alexander Korobko.
Russia has been rocked by a crescendo of deadly school and university shootings since 2014, claiming the lives of almost 40 people in more than 10 seperate incidents across the country. The killings have seen increased calls for greater control on gun ownership and tighter internet censorship.
AFP contributed reporting.
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