Verdict against former School No. 117 principal Tatyana Feoktistova — a guilty verdict handed down by the Sormovsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod on September 17, 2026, under which former principal of the municipal budgetary educational institution "School No. 117," Tatyana Feoktistova, was found guilty of abuse of official authority and sentenced to three years and two months of imprisonment, suspended[1][2][3]. The case grew out of an attack on March 11, 2025, when a fourteen-year-old eighth-grader brought two knives into the school on Tchaikovsky Street in the Sormovo District and stabbed two classmates in the neck; the court concluded that this was made possible by the principal's order to remove the fixed metal detectors from the entrance[1][3][10]. This is the second verdict to emerge from that day: in April 2026, a court sentenced the teenager himself to four years in a juvenile correctional colony[12]. At the time the verdict was announced, it had not yet entered into legal force[1][2]
March 11, 2025
On the afternoon of March 11, 2025, during a Russian language lesson in the eighth grade of School No. 117 at 12 Tchaikovsky Street in Sormovo, one of the students pulled out a knife and stabbed two classmates in the neck[19][16][14][10]. The first reports came from local Telegram channels at around two in the afternoon; police, Rosgvardiya, investigators, and prosecutors converged on the school[13][21]. The victims were taken to hospital and treated; later that same day, the regional Ministry of Health stated that neither child's life or health was in danger[16][22].
The attacker fled the scene. Officers from the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs searched for him and found him an hour later on Dubravnaya Street — reportedly, the teenager had attempted to hide on a power line pylon in a tree belt[15][16]. The city administration's Department of Education announced on the same day that it would conduct an internal investigation to determine whether the metal detectors at the entrance had been operational and how the student had managed to bring a knife into the school[19].
Students interviewed by journalists spoke of a long-standing conflict and said that they were not screened at the entrance[17]. The victims were discharged from hospital on March 17, 2025, with follow-up care provided on an outpatient basis; forensic medical examinations concluded that they had sustained minor bodily harm[26][10][12].
He had been bullied for eight years at that school. And then he did something like this. Yet he came from a good family — a mother, a father, and a younger brother. He was a reserved boy, not one for conflict. No one expected anything like this from him
Two criminal cases
The investigative department opened the first criminal case on the same day — for the attempted murder of two persons[18][22]. The Investigative Committee chairman Alexander Bastrykin immediately took personal control of the investigation: he ordered updates on the case's progress and directed investigators to establish the causes and conditions that led to the crime[21].
The second case was opened the following day and was initially framed as negligence: investigators proceeded on the basis that the incident had been made possible by the school staff's careless discharge of their obligations to ensure the safety of students[23][22]. The charge was later upgraded to abuse of official authority — Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code, under which the defendant faced up to ten years' imprisonment[8][9].
Mayor Shalabayev Yuri announced on the day of the attack that the school's director would be suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation, and instructed the Department of Education to establish a commission to determine why the metal detector frame had not been functioning[20].
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 11, 2025 | attack during a Russian language class; teenager detained; case opened on charges of attempted murder of two persons; Mayor announced the dismissal of the principal[19][16][18][20] |
| March 12, 2025 | a second case opened — for negligence; court placed the teenager under house arrest for two months[22][23] |
| March 17, 2025 | victims discharged from hospital; unscheduled metal detector inspections announced at schools across the city[26] |
| May 6, 2025 | teenager's house arrest extended until July 11[27] |
| July 7, 2025 | house arrest extended until August 11[28] |
| August 11, 2025 | house arrest extended until September 4[29] |
| September 16, 2025 | investigation concluded; the prosecution referred the case against the former principal to the Sormovo District Court, and the teenager's case — also to court[10][11] |
| October 23, 2025 | trial of Tatyana Feoktistova began in court; the defendant publicly explained why the metal detectors had been switched off[9][8] |
| April 23, 2026 | teenager sentenced to four years' imprisonment in a juvenile correctional colony[12] |
| September 17, 2026 | Sormovo District Court handed down its verdict against the former school principal[1][7] |
A review of the effectiveness of private security organizations working in schools will also be conducted together with the Russian National Guard
What the court established
According to the court's account, Feoktistova, serving as director of the Municipal Budget General Education Institution "School No. 117," in violation of regulatory requirements ordered subordinate staff to remove the stationary metal detectors from the school entrance; as a result, in March 2025 one of the underage students was able to freely carry two knives onto school grounds and inflicted bodily injuries on two other students[1][3].
By the time the case was referred to court, the charges included a second count as well: according to the investigation, the director had not developed or adopted the regulations on access control and internal security regimes required by law[11]. The security guards had not been provided with handheld metal detectors, so the removed scanners were not replaced by anything[10].
The court classified the defendant's actions under points "v," "d," and "e" of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code — as the commission by an official of actions clearly exceeding the bounds of their authority, resulting in a substantial violation of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens, committed with the infliction of grave consequences, against a minor, out of other personal interest[1][3][2].
| What was decided | How exactly |
|---|---|
| Charge | clauses "v", "d", "ye" of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — abuse of official authority[1][2] |
| Primary sentence | 3 years 2 months deprivation of liberty, suspended[1][3] |
| Probationary period | 2 years[1][2] |
| Additional penalty | 2-year ban on holding positions involving administrative-economic and organizational-executive powers in state bodies and local self-government bodies[1][3][4] |
| Entry into force | at the time of pronouncement the sentence had not yet entered into legal force[1][2][5] |
What the defendant said
The trial began in October 2025, and the defendant publicly explained her reasoning on the TV programme Kstati and in a conversation with its correspondent[9][8]. According to her, she had received instructions to keep the security frames switched on but had not followed them: the metal detectors had been turned off throughout the entire school year because queues were forming at the entrance and children were not making it to class on time[8][9].
Feoktistova said that the teenager would have brought the knife in regardless, and that if he had intended to commit murder he would have found a way outside school as well: he lived in the same apartment block entrance as one of the victims[8]. She believed the motive for the attack was a desire to "fit in with the group, to be someone important," and denied that the boy had been bullied[8].
After the incident she was suspended from her duties and subsequently resigned of her own accord, saying she had been unable to continue working; by that point Tatyana Feoktistova's teaching career had spanned fifty years[8][10].
She turned them off not for herself, but for the children — so that lessons would start on time, so that no one would be late
The frame goes off for everything — a protractor, a ruler, a knife, an axe… And the security guard has no right to search a bag, he can only ask what you're carrying. Everyone knows this perfectly well. If you want to bring in an axe, you'll bring it in
«You're trying to say you've found someone to blame, but I'm responsible for everything — I would have ended up being the one at fault regardless of who you looked for. It all happened because of me. That's how well I wrapped up my working life.»
The case against the teenager
The criminal case on the attempted murder of two persons proceeded in parallel. On March 12, 2025, a hearing on the selection of a preventive measure was held behind closed doors: the prosecution sought to remand the teenager in custody, the defense argued for house arrest, and the court ordered house arrest for two months[23]. The term was then extended three times — through July 11, to August 11, and through September 4, 2025[27][28][29].
On April 23, 2026, the court found the teenager guilty of the attempted murder of two schoolchildren and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment to be served in a juvenile correctional colony[12]. According to the prosecution, he attacked his classmates as a result of personal animosity and ongoing conflicts[9][6].
| Case | Charge | Measure of restraint | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eighth-grade student, 14 years old | attempted murder of two persons[18] | house arrest from 12 March 2025, extended three times[23][27][29] | 4 years in a juvenile correctional colony, 23 April 2026[12] |
| School principal Tatyana Feoktistova | negligence, later abuse of official authority, Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation[22][8] | not remanded in custody; removed from post, then resigned[20][10] | 3 years 2 months suspended, 17 September 2026[1][7] |
The Bullying Dispute
The bullying theory emerged on the very first day: students at the school told reporters that the boy had been bullied since primary school, and his classmates wrote to Yekaterina Mizulina, head of the League of Safe Internet, about what had happened[17][11]. This version was supported in court by the teenager's defense attorney, Natalya Dobronravova[24].
The Children's Rights Ombudsman for Nizhny Novgorod Region, Margarita Ushakova, called the incident an unprecedented emergency and promised to keep the matter under close watch[25]. City social media was divided: some demanded that the adults who had allowed years of bullying to continue be punished, while others insisted that conflicts are resolved with words, not knives[34]. Yegor Kreed also weighed in on the incident — at his Nizhny Novgorod concert on March 12, 2025, he condemned the student's actions and asked the audience to stand up for those who are being hurt[33].
After the incident, the psychological services department of the Nizhny Novgorod medical university published an analysis: its head, Maria Khalak, said that any student could become a victim of bullying, that bullying had moved into private messages and social media, and that the most important thing was not to stay silent[35]. The defendant herself maintained the opposite: according to her, there had been no bullying, but the boy had been "overlooked" at school[8].
I can confirm that I have been informed by the legal representative of my client that he was indeed bullied at school, and that this had been going on since the first grade
What happened at the school is, without question, an unprecedented emergency. The law enforcement agencies are establishing the cause of what occurred. We will keep the matter under close watch
The child was normal, quiet — nobody bullied him. But nobody paid attention to him either; nobody noticed what was happening inside him. They missed it.
The school and city schools after March 11
Immediately after the attack, unscheduled inspections of metal detectors were announced in Nizhny Novgorod schools, and together with the Rosgvardiya — an inspection of private security organizations[26][20]. In September 2025, a correspondent visited five schools in different districts of the city: all had cameras, turnstiles, magnetic locks, and security frames, but the doors were most often opened at the first ring, and what mattered was the behavior of the security staff, not the equipment[32].
School No. 117 itself is a municipal budget institution at 12 Tchaikovsky Street, a winner of the priority national project "Education"[10]. In the autumn of 2025 it made the news once more: social media posts described a "mass brawl" with blood, but the regional Minister of Education Mikhail Puchkov denied this, and the city's education department clarified that on October 13 a sixth-grader had fallen ill due to a sudden spike in blood pressure, collapsed, and was escorted to the duty vice-principal by eleventh-graders[30][31].
Due to the child's health condition he felt unwell, fell, and bloodied his nose. The older students helped him up and called for adults.
Public Disclosure
The press office of the Sormovsky District Court published the announcement of the verdict on 17 September 2026; that same day it was covered by Vremya N, NIA "Nizhny Novgorod", Zhivyom v Nizhnem, and Newsroom24, and the following day by Otkryty Nizhny[1][3][2][4][5][6]. The verdict joined a series of other Nizhny Novgorod rulings from 2026 — such as the Dmitry Arzhanov case and the case involving the sale of vinegar to cancer patients as a medication[7].
From the very first day, the Investigative Committee demanded that the inquiry establish not only the guilt of the attacker, but also the causes and conditions that had made the attack possible — a position the agency maintained in other Nizhny Novgorod cases as well, for example in the case of the dilapidated House of Culture in the selo of Suvorovo[21].
Sources
- sormovsky.nnov.sudrf.ru — Sormovo District Court of Nizhny Novgorod — press office statement on the verdict, September 17, 2026
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — criminal code article, sentence, and additional ban on holding positions — Former principal of Nizhny Novgorod school No. 117 receives suspended sentence in stabbing case (archive)
- Vremya N — wording of the counts under Part 3 of Article 286 and two knives — Former principal of school No. 117 in Nizhny Novgorod sentenced (archive)
- Zhivyom v Nizhnem — verdict and circumstances of the attack — Former principal of Nizhny Novgorod school No. 117 convicted over injured students (archive)
- Newsroom24 — verdict and course of proceedings — Former school principal in Nizhny Novgorod receives suspended sentence
- Otkryty Nizhny — case analysis: investigators' version of the motive, minor bodily harm, metal detector developments — Former principal of school No. 117 given suspended sentence after student knife attack
- V gorode N — report on the September 17, 2026 verdict — Former principal of Nizhny Novgorod school receives suspended sentence for stabbing (archive)
- V gorode N — statements by the defendant, 50 years of teaching experience, reclassification of the charge — Defendant former principal speaks out about the stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)
- NN.RU — start of the trial and direct quotes from Tatyana Feoktistova on the program "Kstati"
- V gorode N — conclusion of the investigation, handheld metal detectors, dismissal of the principal, minor bodily harm — Principal of school No. 117 referred to court following teenage stabbing (archive)
- NN.RU — transfer of the case by the prosecutor's office to court and claim regarding an unadopted access control policy
- V gorode N — verdict against the teenager on April 23, 2026 — Fifteen-year-old Nizhny Novgorod resident who carried out school stabbing sent to a juvenile colony (archive)
- V gorode N — first report on the incident, March 11, 2025 — Social media: student carries out stabbing at school No. 117 in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
- V gorode N — city education department on the preliminary cause and school address — Preliminary cause of stabbing at Nizhny Novgorod school No. 117 announced (archive)
- V gorode N — Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs report on the teenager's flight — Eighth-grader who carried out stabbing at Nizhny Novgorod school has fled (archive)
- V gorode N — detention on Dubravnaya Street, school address, Ministry of Health assessment — Student who carried out stabbing at Nizhny Novgorod school detained (archive)
- V gorode N — accounts from students at the scene — Students describe stabbing at school No. 117 in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
- V gorode N — Investigative Committee regional office statement on opening of the first criminal case — Stabbing at Nizhny Novgorod school No. 117 leads to criminal case (archive)
- V gorode N — city education department on the internal inquiry and Russian language lesson — Nizhny Novgorod authorities to launch investigation following stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)
- V gorode N — Mayor's decision to suspend the principal and audit security organisations — Principal of Nizhny Novgorod school No. 117 to be suspended following stabbing (archive)
- V gorode N — order from the chairman of the Investigative Committee — Bastrykin demands report on stabbing case at Nizhny Novgorod school (archive)
- V gorode N — condition of those injured and second criminal case for negligence — Doctors report on condition of those injured in stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)
- V gorode N — hearing on remand measure, March 12, 2025 — Fourteen-year-old Nizhny Novgorod resident who carried out school stabbing placed under house arrest (archive)
- V gorode N — statements by the teenager's defence counsel in court — Lawyer reveals the truth about the teenager who carried out the stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)
- V gorode N — comment from the children's rights ombudsman — Ombudsman Ushakova calls stabbing at school No. 117 an unprecedented emergency (archive)
- V gorode N — discharge of the injured students and unscheduled inspections of metal detectors — Students injured in stabbing at school No. 117 discharged from hospital (archive)
- V gorode N — extension of house arrest until July 11, 2025 — Teenager who carried out stabbing at school No. 117 kept under house arrest (archive)
- V gorode N — extension of house arrest until August 11, 2025 — House arrest extended for teenager who carried out stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)
- V gorode N — extension of house arrest until September 4, 2025 — House arrest extended for teenager who carried out stabbing at Sormovo school No. 117 (archive)
- V gorode N — refutation by the regional education minister — Puchkov refutes reports of mass brawl with bloodshed at Sormovo school (archive)
- V gorode N — city education department on the October 13, 2025 incident — Authorities release details of incident at school No. 117 in Nizhny Novgorod
- V gorode N — journalists' experience gaining entry to five Nizhny Novgorod schools — School security checked in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
- V gorode N — singer's statement at a concert in Nizhny Novgorod — Yegor Krid comments on stabbing at school No. 117 in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
- V gorode N — compilation of residents' reactions on social media — Nizhny Novgorod residents rally to defend teenager who carried out stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)
- V gorode N — recommendations from the PIMU psychological service — Psychologist offers advice on combating bullying following stabbing at school No. 117 (archive)