Russian Investigative Committee
Russian Investigative Committee
A horrifying tragedy has occurred in an Arctic Russian city, when a local man sneaked into a daycare center and knifed a six-year-old boy in his bed. Some reports suggest the perpetrator was having a psychotic episode at the time.

The shocking killing happened on Thursday in Naryan-Mar, one of the northernmost cities in Russia, located in the Nenets autonomous region. According to local law enforcement, the killer made his way into a daycare center during nap time. Once inside, the man killed the six-year-old boy right in his bed.

The man was apprehended and identified as a 36-year-old local resident. The police said he was intoxicated when he committed the gruesome crime.

Naryan-Mar
Naryan-Mar
While few details of the incident were immediately available, some tabloid reports indicate that the perpetrator was acting on a violent delusion. According to a source cited by Life.ru, the man claimed Satan had promised him eternal life if he killed the boy and that he obliged by slashing the poor child's throat.

The news channel Baza reports that the killer had a record of drug abuse dating back to at least 2016. Some sources say he was under the influence of something other than alcohol when he was arrested.

The attacker, identified as Denis Pozdeev, reportedly has had brushes with the law. A few years ago, he was charged with advocating extremism after he'd posted Nazi symbols on social media. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a fine.

Local authorities have yet to establish why an armed, inebriated adult was allowed in by the kindergarten security.

"A private security firm has a standing contract, as is required," the deputy governor of the Nenets Autonomous Region told journalists adding that "the guard was on-site."

Some reports said the security had mistaken the assailant for one of the parents; obviously, this explanation is unlikely to go down well, under the circumstances.

The official, Natalya Sidorova, added she had no words to express "all the terror and pain" that she believed she shared with every resident of the city. "Naryan-Mar, a quiet and calm place, is shocked by this tragedy," she said.