Terrorist attack at Moscow concert hall: As it happened

23 March 2024

RT is wrapping up its live coverage of the massacre at the Crocus City concert hall just outside Moscow, which has claimed the lives of at least 133 persons and left more than 150 injured.

Read more on the deadly terrorist attack at the links below:

Deadly Moscow terrorist attack: What’s known so far

Everyone behind Moscow terror attack will be punished – Putin

FSB reports 11 suspects detained over terrorist attack

Moscow attack terrorists planned to flee to Ukraine – FSB

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has strongly condemned remarks on the attack made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who suggested Moscow itself was behind the incident.

“The only head of state stupid enough to blame Russia itself for the terrorist attack was Zelensky,” Zakharova wrote on Telegram, adding that the “self-exposure” of the Ukrainian leader is bound to “destroy” him.

In his latest video address, Zelensky claimed it was “obvious” that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “and other scum” have been trying to blame someone else for the incident while being the true perpetrators behind the attack. While producing the claim, Zelensky apparently referred to conspiracy theories of the early 2000s, alleging a series of terrorist attacks endured by Russia at the time had actually been orchestrated by Moscow. No evidence to back up such theories, however, has ever been presented.

The rescue operation has concluded at Crocus City Hall, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov has announced. The search through the rubble, however, is set to go on, with emergency services expected to make an opening in the building’s wall to simplify access to the site, the governor stated.

The chair of the Russian Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, has instructed personnel to identify all visitors and employees of the concert hall who helped fellow victims to escape the attackers. The Committee is seeking to award the brave civilians with ministerial awards.

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has updated its list of identified victims of the terrorist attack, naming 29 individuals killed at the concert hall.

One of the managers of the rock band Picnic, which was scheduled to perform at the concert hall at the time of the attack, Ekaterina Kushner, remains unaccounted for, the band has said in a social media post

Emergency services will need a few days to fully clear the rubble at the scene, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov has said.

Firefighters have put out the flames at the heavily damaged Crocus City Hall, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has said. Rescuers have been digging through rubble of the concert hall manually, as the scale of the damage has made it impossible to use heavy machinery.

The US “strongly condemns” the concert hall attack, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and all affected by this heinous crime. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event,” he added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed gratitude to all countries and to international organizations that have offered their condolences to Moscow over the terrorist attack on civilians.

“We express our sincere gratitude to everyone who did not remain indifferent in the face of the tragedy,” the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement.

Russia has for long been battling international terrorism and supports anyone’s efforts in this field, she pointed out.

“The fight against this evil must remain the focus of all healthy forces in the international community,” Zakharova added.

All of the four suspects detained in Bryansk Region near the border are foreign nationals, the Russian Interior Ministry has said. The ministry refuted rumors circulating online that the terrorists had received Russian citizenship, and warned the public against relying on unreliable sources of information.

EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell has condemned the Crocus City Hall attack, branding it a “heinous” crime.

“Terrorism has again targeted defenseless people. The international community must remain firmly united against the scourge of terrorism,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Russia’s Investigative Committee has said the number of deaths following the massacre at the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow has reached 133.

Read full story here. 

A total of 107 people, including three children, remain in the hospital after the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova has said, adding that 15 of the patients are in extremely serious condition, with 42 in serious condition.

The Moscow Region Health Ministry previously reported that 121 people were injured as a result of the shooting, but said that 14 of them did not require hospitalization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has addressed the nation in the aftermath of the attack at the Crocus City Hall, saying that additional anti-terrorist measures have since been implemented in Moscow and Moscow Region.

“The main goal now is to prevent those who are behind this bloodbath from committing new crimes,” he stressed.

Eleven people have been detained over the shooting in Krasnogorsk, including four direct perpetrators of the attack, he said. The four suspects were trying to flee Russia for Ukraine, with arrangements being made for them to cross the border, he added.

According to the president, investigators are now working to identify the accomplices of the “terrorists,” who stashed weapons for them, provided them with vehicles, and prepared their escape routes.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has published a video of its experts working at the site of the Friday’s terrorist attack and the vast destruction caused by the blaze at the Crocus City concert hall.

RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan has posted a video clip of the interrogation of one of the suspected terrorists behind the shooting spree at the Crocus City concert hall. Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s Federal Security service (FSB) confirmed that eleven suspects, including four of the alleged perpetrators of the attack, had been detained in Bryansk Region, not far from the Ukrainian border.

When asked what he did at the Crocus City venue on Friday evening, he replied: “I shot down... people.” The suspect added that he had committed the crime “for money,” detailing that he had been promised 500,000 rubles ($5,418).

The man in the video also claims that the alleged curators had instructed him as to where the attack should take place. He had allegedly been ordered to “kill people there… doesn’t matter who.”

Read full story here.

NATO “unequivocally condemn[s] the attacks targeting concertgoers” at Crocus City Hall outside Moscow, the US-led military bloc’s spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah has said.

“Nothing can justify such heinous crimes,” Dakhlallah wrote on X (formerly Twitter). NATO extends its “deepest condolences” to the relatives of victims, she added.

Russian rock band Picnic, which was to perform at Crocus City Hall on Friday night, has issued a statement on social media, saying that it extends deep condolences to the families of the victims and that members are praying for a speedy recovery of those wounded in the terrorist attack. “We are deeply shocked by this terrible tragedy and mourn with you,” the band, which has been around since 1978, said.

More bodies have been discovered at the site of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, Russia’s Investigative Committee has said. This puts the overall death toll at 115, the agency said, adding that the search and rescue operation is continuing.

The Moscow Region Health Ministry previously reported that there were at least three children among the fatalities. According to the ministry’s data, at least 121 people were wounded, with 107 requiring hospitalization.

Eleven people have been detained over the terrorist attack on the Crocus Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said in a statement. The arrested suspects include “four terrorists who were directly involved in the terrorist attack,” the statement read. 

“All four terrorists” were detained in Russia’s Bryansk Region within several hours as they tried to escape by car towards the Russian-Ukrainian border, the FSB said. The suspects intended to cross into Ukraine and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side, it added.

Georgia “condemns the horrific terrorist act” at Crocus Crocus City Hall outside Moscow, the authorities in Tbilisi have said in a statement on Facebook. The Georgian government expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded, the statement read.

Interpol is ready to provide support to the Russian authorities in the investigation of the attack on Crocus City Hall, the secretary general of the International Criminal Police Organization Jurgen Stock has said. “I strongly condemn the attack... which was a terrible act against innocent civilians,” Stock wrote on X (formerly Twitter), while also expressing his condolences to the relatives of the victims.

Hundreds of people have line up outside hospitals in Moscow to donate blood to those injured in the attack on Crocus Crocus City Hall, as seen in videos by RT and other outlets. A list of the wounded released by the Moscow Region Health Ministry has more than 140 entries. Dozens of victims are said to be in serious condition. Updated information on the number of casualties is expected to released shortly.

Cyprus is “shocked by the tragic news” of the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall, the island nation’s foreign ministry has said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). It expressed condolences to the families of the victims, adding that the Cypriot authorities “strongly condemn the attack against civilians.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and the families of the victims over the “serious terrorist attack” on Crocus City Hall, Russia’s embassy in Beijing announced, citing a message from the Chinese leader. Xi said he was “shocked” by what happened.

“China opposes terrorism in all its forms, strongly condemns terrorist attacks, and firmly supports the efforts of the Russian government to ensure national security and stability,” the Chinese president said.

Janus Putkonen, the Finnish chief editor of MV-Lehti, has suggested in an interview with RT that the terrorists who attacked the Crocus City Hall appeared to have military training, noting that they acted in cold blood, keeping their distance and shooting only in short bursts.

He also described the tragedy as a “political attack,” suggesting it could be linked to the Ukraine conflict in one way or another.

Watch the full interview below.

One of the hospitalized victims of the Crocus City Hall shooting has said she survived by playing dead. In an interview shared by several Russian media outlets, the woman recalled that the attackers had spotted her along with several other people and quickly opened fire as the victims ran for their lives.

“I fell to the ground and pretended I was dead. A girl near me was probably killed,” the woman said, adding that as the fire raged in the building, she lay near the door to get the chance to breathe. The woman, who also suffered burns from the fire, said she had been able to crawl toward the exit a few minutes later.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has expressed his condolences and sympathies to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the families of the victims following the attack on the Crocus City Hall, strongly condemning the criminal act.

The press service of Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov has shared photos from the scene, showing devastation in the Crocus City concert hall.

Condolences have also been offered by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Speaking to local media, Vucic suggested that the tragedy could have “incalculable consequences.”

He noted that while it is unclear who exactly orchestrated the terror attack, “there is no doubt that there will be further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “strongly condemn[ed] the heinous terrorist attack” on the Crocus City Hall, expressing his condolences. “India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief,” he added.

The roof of the Crocus City concert hall has collapsed, but the blaze has been largely put out, with only a few small areas still on fire, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov has said. He noted that emergency services are continuing to clear debris and extinguish fires, adding that first responders have been able to enter the main auditorium, where the blaze was most intense.

US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson has claimed that Washington had received information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow prior to the Crocus City hall shooting. This prompted Washington to issue a warning both to Americans in Russia, and the authorities in Moscow, she added, as quoted by CBS News.

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has expressed condolences to the victims of the Crocus City hall shooting, stressing that “degenerates” who staged the attack should be eliminated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked the doctors treating the victims of the Crocus City hall shooting, wishing speedy recovery to those injured, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has said it can’t confirm reports that an explosive device had been found on the body of one of the deceased at the Crocus City hall.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, citing preliminary data, has put the death toll from the terrorist attack at more than 60 people, adding that the number could rise.

The agency also noted that its operatives, along with other law enforcement agencies, are continuing to work at the scene, examining the bodies of the deceased and evidence, including weapons and ammunition left behind.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the Crocus City shooting with Moscow Region Governor, Andrey Vorobyov, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, and Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, according to the Kremlin press service. The three officials have briefed Putin on the ongoing assistance to the victims of the terror attack.

The Kremlin added that the head of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) Alexandr Kurenkov also informed Putin on the assistance efforts.

80 people have been admitted to Moscow hospitals after the mass shooting in the Crocus City concert hall, according to the capital’s health department.

22 March 2024

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has joined the condemnation of the mass shooting and expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and government of Russia. The statement was issued by Guterres’ deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

The UN Security Council has issued a statement condemning “in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” that took place at the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow on Friday. The statement was shared by Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy.

Security Council members have expressed “their deepest sympathy” to the victims’ relatives and the Russian people, while wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. They also stressed the need “to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.”

The head of the Moscow City Duma, Aleksey Shaposhnikov, has urged fellow Russians to donate blood for the victims of the shooting. “It’s very important, it is a matter of life and death for dozens of people,” he wrote on Telegram, sharing the addresses of four donor centers across the capital.

A total of 115 people, including five children, have been hospitalized since the attack, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has said during a media briefing at a hospital near the mall. Some 60 people have been seriously injured, according to the minister. Another 30 people were treated for light injuries.

The fire at the venue has been contained, the Emergencies Ministry has said.

The Health Ministry of Moscow Region has shared a list of 144 people who were injured during the attack.

Some 37 people injured in the attack have been hospitalized, the Health Ministry of Moscow Region has said.

A member of the band Piknik, which was scheduled to perform on Friday evening, has been missing after the attack, the band’s director has told RIA Novosti.

Multiple firefighting helicopters have been deployed to the scene, footage released by the Russian Emergencies Ministry shows. The spread of fire has not been stopped yet.

Russia’s National Guard said it is now searching for the attackers, as well as evacuating survivors from the mall.

Law enforcement officers with detection dogs were spotted inspecting a suspicious white van bearing old Ukraine-issued license plates parked near the mall.

At least 40 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in the attack, Russia’s domestic security service, the FSB, has said, citing a preliminary assessment of the incident.

The fire is reportedly spreading rapidly across the venue, with a towering column of black smoke and open flames seen above the building. At least one firefighting helicopter has been deployed to the scene to help put out the blaze.

Russia’s closest ally, Belarus, has strongly condemned the attack, with the country’s Foreign Ministry stating that “nothing” could have justified it.

The White House has condemned the attack on the mall, describing it as a “terrible” incident. “The images are just horrible and just hard to watch,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The spokesman also insisted the US possessed no intelligence on the attack, nor does it believe it is somehow linked to Ukraine.

A new explosion has been reported from the burning mall. An RT correspondent from the scene, however, has not corroborated such claims.

The attackers have reportedly barricaded themselves inside of the burning building. The group has apparently not attempted to take hostages or make any statements, shooting people on sight instead.

The incident triggered a massive emergency response, with numerous ambulances, as well as heavily armed police special ops units spotted at the location.

The attackers breached the concert hall and targeted fleeing concert goers. The assailants also set the hall on fire, with reports of at least one explosion at the scene

Reports suggest at least ten people have been killed, with more than 50 injured, with the tally expected to grow given the scale of the attack and massive fire at the mall.

A massive fire broke out at the mall, with flames engulfing the roof of the building, which has reportedly partially collapsed.

Multiple heavily armed attackers, apparently wearing body armor, entered the venue, shooting visitors on sight, extremely graphic footage circulating online shows.

The attack was first reported shortly after 8PM local time, just as a concert of the iconic Russian rock band Piknik was about to begin at the venue