UFA, Russia — At least four Indian students were among several people injured Saturday during a knife attack at a university dormitory in Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic, officials said.
The incident occurred at a foreign students’ hostel affiliated with the State Medical University in Ufa. According to Russia’s Interior Ministry, a teenager armed with a knife entered the dormitory’s sports hall and began attacking students.
“The attacker resisted arrest, during which two police officers were stabbed,” said Maj. Gen. Irina Volk, a spokesperson for the Russian Interior Ministry. Volk added that the suspect also inflicted self-injured wounds during the confrontation with law enforcement.
The Indian Embassy in Russia confirmed the attack in a statement, describing it as an “unfortunate incident” and noting that officials are in close contact with local authorities. Representatives from the Indian Consulate in Kazan were dispatched to Ufa to provide assistance to the injured students.
While the identities of the victims have not been officially released, local media reports and witnesses described a chaotic scene. Witnesses told Russian news outlet Ren TV that there was “blood all around” as emergency responders evacuated the wounded.
The suspect, identified by local reports as a 15-year-old male, was taken to a children’s hospital in serious condition.
The four students and two police officers are receiving treatment at a local clinical hospital.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a formal probe into the attack to determine a motive. It remains unclear if the students were specifically targeted or if there were additional accomplices, though some eyewitness accounts suggested a second attacker may have been involved.
Ufa, located approximately 800 miles east of Moscow, is a major educational hub that hosts thousands of international students, many of whom are enrolled in medical programs.
