From music to massacre, the deadliest terrorist attack in Russia's recent history
The attack was carried out at around 8pm at the Crocus City Hall, just as the Russian rock band Picnic was preparing to begin their concert
On 22 March, 2024, Russia suffered its worst terrorist attack in recent history.
The attack was carried out at around 8pm at the Crocus City Hall, just as the Russian rock band Picnic was preparing to begin their concert.
"Some people in brown clothing, I don't know who they were — terrorists, military, whoever — broke into the auditorium and started shooting at people with assault rifles," said photographer Dave Primov, who saw the attack unfold from an upstairs balcony.
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[Warning: Some of the details of this story are graphic.]
Though it cannot be seen in the video, prior to the gunmen's entry into the venue, they had crossed the concourse outside while opening fire at random, killing and wounding bystanders.
With over 6,200 tickets sold, the venue was packed. Despite this, security personnel abandoned their posts quickly. One of the four guards stated that they and their colleagues hid behind an advertising board, saying, "Those attackers passed 10m [30ft] away from us - they started shooting randomly at people on the ground floor."
At the time, no one knew the number of attackers involved, but video footage revealed four men armed with weapons entering the building and shooting point-blank at the people huddling against the windows.
These were the first of many victims in Russia's mass shootings in years.
Unfortunately for those inside at the time, many assumed the noise was part of the act until news filtered in and started a panic.
Sofiko Kvirikashvili heard what she initially thought was "some kind of endless burst of firecrackers - I turned around in the hall once, then again. The third time, I realised everyone in the hall had started running away in all directions."
Dave Primov, the photographer, said the panic started a crush against the exits. A few civilians who could not escape attempted to hide by lying down between the seats. This offered little protection when the gunmen began to fire into the stalls.
Those who could, fled to the stage to exit the auditorium. Others tried the upper exits only to find them locked. Eyewitnesses reveal that both elderly people and children were caught in the attack.
One escapee who ran for the stage says she saw one of the attackers opening fire before she escaped, saying, "We ran behind the curtain and one of the Crocus employees in uniform told us to run and we ran out into the car park without any winter clothes."
One man in a VIP box revealed how he and others barricaded themselves in only to find smoke billowing through the theatre.
Another man who saw the attack unfolding from a balcony described what he witnessed of the gunmen's actions, "They threw some petrol bombs, everything started burning."
Whether it was a petrol bomb or another incendiary device, the flames spread rapidly.
Firefighters could not get near the building because of the attack. The fire soon spread to the roof and could be seen across the skyline in Krasnogorsk. Part of the roof collapsed, and the fire spread to the front of the building, gutting the top two floors.
Many of those in the auditorium fled through the foyer. One graphic video shows people rushing down escalators past two bodies propped up against a sofa.
Eva, an assistant to a dance group, was preparing for the concert when the attackers burst into the auditorium. "We were in the dressing room, a crowd rushed past us. We heard noise and people running in the corridor; we grabbed our coats and ran with the crowd."
Of the rock band Picnic, despite initially being declared safe, unconfirmed reports suggest one member remained unaccounted for.
With the death toll as of the filing of this report reaching 133 with over 200 wounded, the indiscriminate nature of the attack became clear, with official casualty lists revealing that the oldest victim was in her 70s and that children were among the dead and wounded.
ISIS, a jihadist group, released a brief statement that they were behind the attack, which matched with recent warnings from the US of a potential attack targeting "large gatherings" in Moscow.
Three days prior to this attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed those claims, saying that they were "provocative statements" from the West about potential attacks within Russia.
He also claimed the warnings "resemble outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilise our society".
Russian authorities have captured all four gunmen and detained several other people while also claiming Ukrainian culpability in the attacks saying that the perpetrators attempted to cross Russia into Ukraine and had "relevant contacts" there.
Ukraine quickly denied involvement, insisting its attacks were confined to the battlefield.
The Russian president did not address the public until the next day.
On Saturday afternoon, he compared the killers to Nazis and announced a national day of mourning on Sunday (24 March).
