On 28 March 2022, 19-year-old Polina Dvorkina went to kindergarten No. 31 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, where she planned to kill the male students. Dvorkina was apprehended and no one at the school was hurt. Earlier that day, she had shot and killed her father at their home.[1] It is believed to be the first crime in Russia committed on the basis of misandry.[2][3][4]
On 28 March 2022, at 4:00 a.m, Dvorkina's drunken father tried to force his way into her, shouting: "I gave birth to you, I will kill you". When her father entered the room, she hit him twice on the head with a dumbbell, causing him to fall and start bleeding. She then shot him with a 12-gauge hunting rifle, killing him.[5] At about 14:00 she entered kindergarten No. 31 on Menzhinskogo Street, hiding a shotgun under her coat. The guards recognized her because she had come there a few days before to apply for a job.[4] She was able to enter the building under the pretext that she needed to pick up a child. In the "caramel" group at that time, 17 children aged 4 to 5 years old were sleeping during the quiet hour.[6][7][8] The teacher noticed a rifle under Dvorkina's coat, shouted, and started resisting.[8] During the arrest, Dvorkina fired a shot, and the bullet hit the wall.[9] She was apprehended by one of the kindergarten employees, a physical education instructor.[10] The caretakers held Dvorkina until law enforcement arrived.
Perpetrator
Polina Platonovna Dvorkina (Russian: Полина Платоновна Дворкина; at birth – Sofia Olegovna Kechina; born in 2002)[5][11][12] in the family of Krasnoyarsk journalist and Oleg Kechin, director and co-founder of a publishing center.[8] Polina became interested in the ideas of radical feminism at the age of 12.[13] She studied the works of foreign authors of this movement and hated men. She shaved her head, spoke negatively about men, and called for violence against boys.[14] At the trial Dvorkina stated that since childhood her mother and father did not take care of her, she was left to herself, her parents drank heavily and did not pay any attention to her.[13] Shortly before the crime, Dvorkina changed her surname, first name and patronymic to Polina Dvorkina in honor of the American feminist writer Andrea Rita Dworkin. She wrote a feminist manifesto, which she sent to foreign media outlets, in which she declared the need for "women to commit violent acts and murders against men". According to her, she wanted to use her manifesto to protest against the "exploitation of women". In the fall of 2021, Dvorkina purchased a hunting shotgun.[13][15] At the time of the attack on the kindergarten, Dvorkina was wearing a T-shirt with writing encouraging violence acts against men.[16]
Legal proceedings
Dvorkina at a court hearing in 2023
A criminal case was opened against Dvorkina under articles on attempted murder of two or more people, including minors, and under an article for murder.[17] As part of the investigation, law enforcement agencies organized checks in relation officials of the kindergarten and the company providing security services for the kindergarten.[18] A psychological and psychiatric examination found Dvorkina to be sane.[8]
In April 2023, the court fined Dvorkina 10,000 rubles (US$108 in 2023) under the administrative article on incitement of hostility or hatred towards the "male sex".[19] The court found that she had sent a feminist manifesto to the media, which included calls for women to commit violent acts and kill men.[20][16]
In July 2023, the court sentenced Dvorkina to 17 years imprisonment with 2 years restriction of liberty and ordered outpatient treatment by a psychiatrist at the place of incarceration.[4][7][21] A claim in favor of Dvorkina's mother in the amount of 1 million rubles (US$10,770 in 2023) as moral compensation was also satisfied.[22] In her last statement, Dvorkina stated:
"Now the thinking has changed...there are women in the detention center who have children and they love them...I began to appreciate families and small children...it becomes shameful when women in the detention center talk about their children...I realized that one should strive for family, for goodness, love...it is shameful that at the moment when the citizens of the country are defending the motherland, I committed crimes...".[23]
Dvorkina appealed against the court's judgment. On 31 January 2024, the court left the verdict against her unchanged.[24]
The security guard on duty at the kindergarten on the day of the attack and her boss, the director of the security company, sentenced to 2,5 and 2 years, respectively, in a general regime colony under Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (providing services that do not meet safety requirements). In March 2024, the female security guard was released on parole, and later that year, the director of the security company was also released.[15]
Aftermath
Decree of the Russian Federation on the awarding of educators of Krasnoyarsk
The prosecutor's office said that such a crime has not been seen in the history of Russia, where a mass shooter was motivated by feminist ideology.[10][4]
Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin has put the investigation of the criminal case under the control of the central office of the department.[25] President Vladimir Putin awarded medals "For Bravery" to three Krasnoyarsk educators who stopped the attacker.[8][26]
As of 2025, Dvorkina was serving her sentence in Krasnoyarsk colony No. 22, as well as undergoing treatment with a psychiatrist and seeing a psychologist. She has been diagnosed with "polymorphic personality disorder". While serving her sentence in the colony, Dvorkina was employed as a seamstress. She participates in cultural, educational, and sporting events. She also took part in patriotic events dedicated to Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Immortal Regiment campaign.[15]
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