At a kindergarten in Russia, a gunman shot dead at least three people and then killed himself on Tuesday.
According to initial findings, the victims were two children, a teacher and the attacker himself, said a spokesman for the authorities in the central Russian region of Ulyanovsk.
According to reports, the man broke into the kindergarten during the lunch break.
As reported by Russian news agencies, citing law enforcement agencies, a family dispute may have led to the deadly attack.
Deputy and former Ulyanovsk governor Sergei Morozov told RIA Novosti news agency that the victims were a young teacher and two children born in 2016 and 2018.
The Telegram channel Basa, which is known for its good contacts with the Russian security forces, reported that the man broke into the unguarded kindergarten during the midday rest period.
He was therefore armed with a shotgun.
Strict security measures
In Russia, due to strict safety precautions at educational institutions and strict gun laws, gun attacks in kindergartens, schools or universities are relatively rare.
In May last year, a 19-year-old killed nine people at his former school in central Russia's Kazan.
President Vladimir Putin then ordered a tightening of gun laws.
In September, an 18-year-old student killed six people with a hunting rifle at a college in the central Russian Ural city of Perm.