Xenophobic attack claims life of fourth-grader near Moscow, strains Tajik-Russian ties

• A 10-year-old Tajik boy was fatally stabbed at a Moscow-area school in an attack that also injured two staff members, carried out by a 15-year-old student motivated by far-right, xenophobic ideologies.
• The killing has sparked a diplomatic row, with Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry demanding an impartial investigation from Russia amid concerns over a sharp rise in ethnic hate crimes committed by increasingly younger perpetrators.

The tragic murder of 10-year-old Tajik schoolboy Qobiljon Aliev has escalated into an international incident, drawing condemnation and calls for justice amid rising concerns over xenophobia in Russia.

The incident occurred on December 16, 2025, at Uspenskaya Secondary School in Gorki-2, an affluent suburb in the Odintsovo district outside Moscow. Aliev, a fourth-grader and citizen of Tajikistan, was fatally stabbed during a targeted attack that also injured a teacher and a security guard.

According to reports, the assailant entered the school premises armed with a knife and pepper spray.

He questioned younger students about their nationalities, recording responses on his phone before launching the assault.

Aliev was chased and stabbed, succumbing to his injuries, while the attacker was subdued by police shortly thereafter.

The event has been described as a xenophobic attack motivated by ethnic hatred, with evidence suggesting the suspect's phone contained extremist references, including quotes linked to far-right organizations and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

Qobiljon Aliev was raised by his mother, who worked as a janitor at the school, alongside his twin brother following the death of their father.

The family, originally from Tajikistan, had planned for Aliev to return home on December 17, but the attack thwarted those intentions. His body was repatriated and buried on December 18 in his native village of Ajam in the Shahrinav district, where hundreds gathered under tight security for a somber funeral.

The suspect, identified as 15-year-old Timofey K., a ninth-grader at the same school, wore clothing emblazoned with slogans such as "No Lives Matter," associated with mass attackers and far-right ideologies.

He disseminated a manifesto decrying Muslims, Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, and leftist ideologies, while endorsing the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, according to media reports.

Russian authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into murder and attempted murder, with a forensic psychiatric evaluation pending, but have not yet classified the act as a hate crime despite extremist motives.

In response, Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador to Dushanbe on December 17, demanding an "objective and impartial investigation" and holding those responsible accountable.

Russia's Foreign Ministry, through spokesperson Maria Zakharova, extended deep condolences to Tajikistan and coordinated with Dushanbe on the matter.

This murder marks the second xenophobia-related killing by a school-age perpetrator in Russia in 2025, following a similar incident in April where a 14-year-old killed a 9-year-old Kyrgyz boy.

Experts note a sharp rise in hate crimes since 2023, with perpetrators increasingly younger.