Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that the attack on Kerch Technical College, and the deaths by now of 21 people, most of them teenagers, was the result of ‘globalization’ and failure everywhere to properly react to changing conditions in the world. It is a convenient line to take, as it places the responsibility outside Russia and his regime while justifying further state intervention to provide the allegedly missing “necessary, interesting and useful content for young people”. It is not a view shared by many people who have watched with concern the mounting militarization of Crimean society in general, and children in particular, under Russian occupation. While we do not know, and perhaps never will, what went on in the head of 18-year-old Vladislav Roslyakov before he went on his killing rampage, the atmosphere in Crimea and the attitude to war and weapons have certainly changed alarmingly since Russia’s invasion and annexation in early 2014.
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Halya Coynash: Kerch massacre was about militarization of Crimea, not ‘globalization’ as Putin claims
(Archive photo) A woman holds a candle during a church service for the victims of a college attack in Kerch, Crimea, on Oct. 18, 2018, after a student opened fire at a technical college in the Russian-annexed Crimea city of Kerch.
