This Wednesday, 18-year old Vladislav Roslyakov killed 15 students and 5 teachers at Kerch Polytechnic College in Russian-annexed Crimea. A school shooting that didn’t occur in the United States is almost unheard of, and yet, this massacre bears similarities to Columbine.

Although unsure of the timeline, police are positive that an explosive filled with nails and other metal was set off. Many students were brought into hospitals with torn muscles and nails found in their organs. Roslyakov placed the bag containing the bomb in the cafeteria and ran from room to room shooting, detonating one bomb remotely–all the while carrying other bombs that were disarmed before detonation.

Although not specific, the government reports that Roslyakov used a sort of machine rifle in this attack and after, killing himself in the school library–much like the Columbine massacre. Roslyakov wore black pants, boots and a white shirt that read “Hatred” in Russian. The Columbine killer Eric Harris wore almost the exact outfit, with a shirt that read “Natural Selection”. Other students who saw the shooting go down report that there was another gunman along with Roslyakov. If this report by several students is true, it matches the two-man team that killed at Columbine.

Since Russia annexed Crimea, taking it from the Ukraine, Ukrainian tensions have become present but this seems unrelated, as Roslyakov was seen by his peers as very quiet and antisocial–the opposite of a nationalist. Another theory reports that Roslyakov could have been recruited by Islamic terror groups–but none have taken responsibility for the killings.

This act seems to be unrelated to bullying, as Roslyakov is said to have isolated himself and deleted his social media months before. A random act of mass death and yet, why now? Some say he fought with his first girlfriend, others say he was a ticking time bomb. All we know as of now is that he used a legally purchased assault weapon and mirrored the Columbine killings. This was a truly sad act of violence, and might be an omen of destruction to come in foreign nations idolizing US rebels.