This is Vladislav Roslyakov, and few minutes ago, he placed something under a table in the crowded cafeteria of his university. But for him, this was only the beginning. Inspired by his dark idols—the Columbine shooters—Vladislav set out to execute a plan in three phases at the Polytechnic University in Crimea, a region contested by Russia and Ukraine.
Vladislav had spent the past two weeks without speaking to anyone. His classmates were concerned, but it wasn’t entirely out of character for him. He had always been introverted, distant, and without friends. But in the past few weeks, his isolation seemed more intense, as if he was preoccupied with something much darker—something known only to him.
Just a week before the attack, a chilling video surfaced, in which Vladislav was seen wearing the same clothes he would wear on the day of the attack. His silence and eerie demeanor made those around him uneasy. There were disturbing stories circulating at the university: classmates recalled unsettling encounters with him. One story told of a philosophical discussion in which, while others spoke freely, Vladislav remained silent. Suddenly, he raised his hand and, in a clear voice, declared: “Humanity doesn’t deserve to live. The world would be better off without so many people.” The room fell silent, a cold shiver passing through everyone present.
Another classmate recalled seeing Vladislav in a cyber café, watching videos of previous school shootings. When asked why, Vladislav coldly replied, “I’m just interested in how those people thought.” His increasing detachment from the physical world led him into the digital realm, where he became consumed by the Columbine massacre, in which two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 24 people before taking their own lives. To Vladislav, these two figures were not mere criminals—they were his heroes, his kindred spirits. He idolized them, seeing in their actions a revenge against a world that had rejected him.
Vladislav absorbed every detail of the 1999 attack, immersing himself in videos and forums that fueled his obsession. This obsession was more than a fascination—it was the blueprint for his own plan. Like Harris and Klebold, Vladislav had been marginalized, bullied, and rejected, and he craved the same vengeance.
In the days leading up to the attack, Vladislav’s plan took shape. The night before, he was eerily calm, despite the gravity of what was to come. At just 18 years old, he had legally acquired a pump-action shotgun and over 150 rounds of ammunition. But it wasn’t the gun that would truly shock—the real darkness lay in what he had prepared. Drawing inspiration from his Columbine idols, his plan was far more than just a shooting spree. He wanted to destroy. In the solitude of his room, he carefully assembled improvised explosives, designed to inflict maximum harm, packing them with metal shrapnel like screws and nuts. Once everything was ready, he stored it in his backpack and went to sleep, knowing tomorrow would be the day.
The morning of October 17, 2018, began like any other. Students gathered outside the university, oblivious to the fact that one among them was there with deadly intent. Vladislav approached the back entrance, the one without metal detectors. This time, his backpack didn’t contain books—it was packed with a shotgun and explosives.
Inside, he didn’t immediately execute his plan. Instead, he seemed lost, wandering the hallways, perhaps second-guessing his own actions. After a few moments, he stopped near the cafeteria, dropped his backpack, and waited. For seven minutes, he sat in silence, the first phase of his plan about to unfold.
The first phase was simple: go to the area with the highest concentration of people—the cafeteria—and cause maximum devastation. He knew that entering with a gun could be risky, so he chose a subtler approach: he sat down, attached the explosive under the table, and began the countdown.
The blast shook the room, leaving students frozen in place, some trembling, others paralyzed by the deafening silence that followed. The once-familiar space now felt like a nightmare, and chaos erupted. But before detonating the bomb, Vladislav had removed his jacket, revealing an outfit eerily similar to what Eric Harris had worn during the Columbine massacre: a white shirt and black pants. It was a tribute to his idols. The explosion killed 15 students, but this was only the beginning.
Vladislav made his way to the bathroom to prepare for the second phase: the shooting. Anyone still alive in the halls had mere seconds to flee, or they would become his next victims. He quickly encountered his first target—his professor, Moino Alexander—and without hesitation, shot him dead. He moved on, and soon encountered his next target, Professor Luda, whose fate was sealed in the same manner. By now, students and faculty were aware that something terrible was happening, but many still didn’t understand that this was intentional.
The panic spread rapidly, but some students, like Christina and Viita, tried to escape. They thought they were safe, but fate had other plans. As they rounded a corner, they ran directly into Vladislav. They were among the 20 victims he had claimed, with 70 others injured.
Despite knowing that emergency services were on their way, Vladislav paused before moving on. He took one last, slow walk through the halls of the university, the same halls he had walked through for years. What went through his mind in those final moments, no one would ever know. It was now time for the third phase of his plan.
Vladislav’s idols had ended their lives in the school library, and now, Vladislav followed in their footsteps. He made his way to the library, determined to bring his deadly plan to its brutal conclusion.
