A birthday celebration near Baikalsk turned into a horrific tragedy when a 17-year-old allegedly stabbed four friends to death and wounded four others before setting fire to the dacha, resulting in his own death. The incident has sparked a debate about the role of alcohol in underage violence and the potential for prevention.

The head of Baikalsk, Vasily Temgenevsky, directly attributed the tragedy to strong alcohol. An 18-year-old friend is under investigation for purchasing a significant amount of alcohol for the party.

Experts caution against solely blaming alcohol. Psychiatrist-narcologist Timur Mamedov suggests that alcohol may have simply exposed underlying issues within the alleged perpetrator. He believes that the root cause could be anything from relationship problems to mental disorders.

Narcologist Vasily Shurov agrees, stating that alcohol reduces control of the brain’s cortex, allowing suppressed emotions and tendencies to surface. He suggests that if someone is prone to aggression, alcohol could trigger it.

Public figure Olga Letkova acknowledges that alcohol consumption among teenagers remains a problem, fueled by social media and a desire to appear more mature. She believes punishment for those who provide alcohol to minors is necessary, but not sufficient.

Letkova emphasizes the importance of providing teenagers with engaging activities to fill their free time and prevent them from turning to alcohol or other harmful substances. She also notes the difficulty in monitoring teenagers’ behavior, especially on social media, and the potential for overbearing parental control to backfire.