“Let’s forget like a bad dream”: in Bryansk they brushed aside the tragedy at the gymnasium

I arrived in Bryansk on the day when the dead were buried in the city: the victim and her executioner.

About the place of Marina’s funeral (name changed – approx. auto) knew all of Bryansk.

The fact that on this day the body of the girl shooter was buried was revealed only in court, where a preventive measure was chosen for her father and the employees of the private security company.

Alina, who carried out the shooting, was buried in a rural cemetery. Away from the human flow. Only close relatives saw off the girl.

The funeral of the murdered Marina took place at the cemetery of the Sovetsky district. This is the city center. The funeral service for the deceased was held in the main cathedral of Bryansk. About a hundred people came to say goodbye to the teenager. The funeral events were organized by the city administration.

An employee of the cemetery administration warned in advance that a lot of people would gather for farewell. They even waited for the governor of Bryansk.

But the head of the region did not come. According to police officers who were on duty at the burial site, his deputy arrived.

“The funeral is too personal,” the policeman explained the governor’s absence. – The deputy head is here to keep order. But the governor was in the cathedral for the funeral service and near the house of the deceased girl, where a crowd had gathered in the morning. The family of the deceased was large and religious; the coffin with the body was in their home.

There were few classmates of the deceased at the cemetery. Apparently, the parents did not let the children go; there is no need for unnecessary stress now.

Despite the wide public outcry, journalists did not come here either. And, as it turned out, they did the right thing.

“In order to avoid incidents, we recommend not to approach the funeral procession,” several women attacked me. – Enough already, we’ve written so much in two days. We don’t need this. And stop poisoning Alina’s family. Her parents are good people.

Throughout the entire funeral ceremony, the ladies carefully watched that I did not approach the crowd of mourners closer than 50 meters. And God forbid taking pictures.

The funeral lasted no more than an hour. During this time, an elderly woman, apparently Marina’s grandmother, became ill. The woman walked away from the grave and howled. They grabbed her by the arms and dragged her into the ambulance.

“We needed one more death here,” the doctor noted.

The young man could not stand it. The policeman suggested that it was Marina’s brother. The guy also needed medical help.

By some miracle the mother held on.

Before leaving the cemetery, one of the men turned to me: “Don’t write about this story. Let’s forget how bad it is. It was and was. Nobody wants to dwell on this topic and understand what happened. Don’t you think it’s strange that all Ukrainian channels were already discussing this news an hour and a half later? But it seems to us. We don’t want this.”

Many residents of Bryansk told me that people don’t want to know the reasons or understand what happened: “We don’t need such fame.” And all the townspeople felt sorry for Alina. At every step you can only hear: poor girl, the adults are to blame for their oversight.

The girl shooter and the families of the victims are acquitted. The mother of the wounded boy left a comment on social networks: “There was no bullying, everyone can confirm this. The son has been friends with Alina since kindergarten. I would really like people to pass by our grief in silence. I treated and still treat Alina’s family very well and will support them!”

“I was asked not to go into a coma”

While Marina was being buried, the court was choosing a preventive measure for the three accused – two employees of the private security company and Alina’s father, Dmitry. There was no full house in the courtroom. Few journalists gathered. None of the victims’ families appeared at the trial.

Two months of arrest were given to the general director of the private security company, Sergei Poddubny, who guards the gymnasium in Bryansk and to an employee of this organization who worked at the school.

None of them admitted their guilt.

I came to the court hearing when a preventive measure was being chosen for school security guard Galina Chertkova. This fragile woman spoke about serious health problems. It turned out that she has a diseased spine, which is why she is forced to wear a corset. In addition, Chertkova has been suffering from type 1 diabetes for 16 years.

– I have to receive insulin every month and a half – this is my problem, I can’t live without it. I injected myself before the meeting, but I’m holding on. I was asked not to go into a coma. “I’m trying,” the accused described her condition.

Later, social networks in Bryansk exploded with negative reviews: “What kind of security guard is this with such diseases?” Colleagues stood up for the woman: “Professionals won’t go to work for 20 thousand.”

Chertkova worked at the school for 6 years, before that she guarded another organization for 10 years. There have not been any complaints over the years of service. The gymnasium staff left positive reviews.

“That day I didn’t pay attention to the lack of metal detector frames. This is not the property of the private security company, it is the property of the gymnasium,” the accused admitted. – Moreover, I have a whole vestibule of little children, I need to get them started, this is a more important moment for me.

Chertkova explained that she pressed the panic button and called an ambulance.

When asked to characterize Alina, the woman hesitated. It was as if she was trying to remember her.

– The girl is calm, unremarkable, that’s all I can say… That ill-fated morning, the girls were dressed as usual – in hats, coats, backpacks, and holding white bags with a change of shoes in their hands. Since they are twins, they dress the same. I didn’t see any suspicious items on them… It was a hidden smuggler.

As the woman was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, a loud scream was heard in the hallway. The daughter of the accused could not contain her emotions. The accused’s husband stood nearby. The man’s hands were shaking.

“There were three, there are two left”

Alina’s father, Dmitry, was the last to be brought into the conference room that day. The man is accused of two counts: improper storage of weapons and incitement to suicide of a minor daughter.

The accused was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When he was asked a question about the children, he replied: “There were three, there are two left… Today we buried our daughter.” And howled.

Three times the man broke into tears when talking about Alina.

Dmitry’s lawyer asked to postpone the hearing because the defendant’s wife was unable to attend the court due to her daughter’s funeral: “She can explain many issues related to the family. Let’s wait for her.”

The defender read out a note from Dmitry’s wife, which said that the woman could not cope alone, and the consequences for the second daughter could be irreversible.

The lawyer reacted harshly to the investigator’s accusations when he stated that the accused systematically used violence against his deceased daughter, which was the reason for the suicide.

-Where did you get this from? My wife and daughter testified, they didn’t say anything like that…

The investigator did not explain: “The entire circle of witnesses has not yet been identified.”

The court granted the defense’s request. The man’s arrest was extended for 72 hours.

On the same day, one of the participants in the process asked me what those gathered at the cemetery had previously insisted on – to pay less attention to this tragedy: “And tell your colleagues not to write about this.”

Later, a friend of Alina’s family, with whom I was able to communicate, spoke out in defense of Dmitry: “They are normal parents, believe me. They don’t have money for an expensive lawyer. Friends found them a protector. As far as I know, they agreed to defend Dmitry for free. His wife is now in shock. She has no one to ask for help. Neighbors and parents of classmates decided to support them.”

Read also: The father of the shooter girl burst into tears in the Bryansk court