Russia has observed a day of national mourning after the most serious attack in over 20 years. The death toll could rise even further – many injured people are in mortal danger.
After the attack on a concert hall near Moscow that left more than 130 dead, Russia observed a day of mourning. Events in cultural institutions have been canceled and television entertainment and advertising have been suspended, the state news agency Ria Novosti reported. Commemorative posters depicting a candle replaced some of the large billboards in Moscow. “The entire country mourns with the people who lost their loved ones in this inhumane tragedy,” state TV channel Russia 24 said.
People laid flowers at a makeshift memorial near the burned-out concert hall. Abroad, Serbia and Nicaragua joined the commemoration with their own days of mourning.
More than 150 injuries reported
In Moscow, citizens stood in long queues in the rain to donate blood. The Russian authorities assume that the number of victims will continue to rise. 152 people were injured in the attack. 107 people are still in hospital – many of them are in mortal danger, said Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.
Many relatives of missing people are still waiting for information. By Saturday evening, 50 victims had already been identified by forensic experts, said Governor Andrei Vorobyov. Many people in the concert hall were burned beyond recognition, it was said.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations released a video of heavy equipment arriving at Crocus City Hall to clear debris. It had been feared that more victims could be found under the rubble of the badly damaged concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of Moscow. However, this has not been the case so far.
A large part of the “Crocus City Hall” burned out due to the attack.
IS claims responsibility for the attack
Armed men entered the Crocus City Hall before a concert and fired indiscriminately at visitors. They also set fires. According to authorities, many of those killed died from smoke inhalation. The jihadist militia “Islamic State” (IS) later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Nevertheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin is apparently trying to link Ukraine to the attack. The Russian authorities have arrested, among other things, four suspected attackers, Putin said in an address to the nation. They were captured while fleeing to Ukraine. An escape route had been prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border. Putin did not provide any evidence to support his claim. In total, the Kremlin reported eleven arrests. With his comments, Putin confirmed the version of his domestic secret service, the FSB, which had previously stated that the attackers had “contacts” in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government, however, denied involvement in the attack. She accused the Russian president and other politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the attack in order to gain support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US intelligence sources said it had been confirmed that the Afghan branch of IS, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK), was behind the attack. A spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, said he was “solely responsible for this attack”. “There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever.” Watson said the United States provided Russia with information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow in early March.