Unidentified people attacked an event hall northwest of Moscow. The domestic secret service speaks of 40 dead. Authorities are investigating terrorism. The perpetrators are being searched for.
The terrorist militia Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on the event center near Moscow that left dozens dead and injured. The IS mouthpiece Amak reported this on the Internet, citing unnamed sources.
After the attack that left at least 40 dead, a search is underway for the attackers. Russian National Guard special forces are deployed at the Crocus City Hall in the city of Krasnogorsk. The emergency services say they are looking for the criminals. In addition, people would be brought to safety.
It is not known how many attackers there were. Videos showed people running for their lives. The background to the attack is still unclear. Russia’s Central Investigative Committee has opened a case into a suspected “act of terrorism,” the agency announced on the Telegram news service.
That happened
According to authorities, there had previously been shots and explosions in the event hall. Unidentified people wearing camouflage clothing stormed the Crocus City Hall shortly before the start of a concert and opened fire, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said. According to the Russian domestic secret service FSB, the gunmen killed 40 people. In addition, according to initial findings, more than 100 people were injured, the authority was quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax.
Western embassies had recently warned of terrorist attacks in Moscow. The Kremlin described this as a provocation by the West.
The Russian Ministry of Civil Defense said that the building, which also houses a concert hall with thousands of seats, was engulfed in flames over an area of 13,000 square meters. So far it has not been possible to put out the fire. Firefighting helicopters are also in use. Blazing flames and a huge cloud of smoke can be seen on the building. The roof is said to have collapsed. Dozens of ambulances and many buses are in use to bring people to safety. The situation is confusing.
The Crocus City Hall has several event halls that are also used for trade fairs. It is one of the most popular leisure spots for Muscovites and those living in the surrounding areas of the Russian capital. Stars have appeared there again and again. In the evening there was supposed to be a concert by the Russian rock band Piknik.
Putin informed “from the first minute”.
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the events “from the first minute.” According to the Interfax agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he constantly receives all important information about what is happening and the measures taken via the relevant services.
The head of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, threatened the masterminds of the attack with retaliation. “Those behind this terrible crime will receive the deserved and inevitable punishment,” she wrote on her Telegram channel. At the same time, she announced, the state would do everything it could to help those left behind.
Kyiv and the USA deny connections
Kiev representatives rejected suspicions of Ukrainian involvement. “Ukraine has absolutely no connection to the events,” emphasized Mykhailo Podoljak, advisor to Presidential Office Chief Andriy Yermak, in a video message on Telegram. His country is at war with Russia and the Russian army and will crush them with “decisive offensive actions.” At the same time, he emphasized: “Unlike the Russian Federation, Ukraine has never used terrorist methods of warfare, terrorism as such.” However, there are recent precedents for Russian security forces to be involved in such actions, he said.
In an initial reaction, the USA also warned not to establish any connection with Ukraine. “There is no evidence that Ukraine or Ukrainians had anything to do with the shooting,” US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington. Not much can be said about the details yet, but at this early stage we strongly advise against the assumption that there is a connection to Ukraine. The US State Department advised local American citizens to avoid large gatherings of people.
Reactions from abroad
The European Union condemned the attack. The EU is shocked and horrified, wrote EU Commission spokesman Peter Stano on the X platform (formerly Twitter). The EU condemns any attacks on civilians. “Our thoughts are with all affected Russian citizens.”
The Foreign Office wrote on X about a “terrible attack on innocent people.” The background needs to be clarified quickly. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims,” it said. Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) also spoke on X of a “cowardly attack on people who just wanted to listen to music.”
This is how Moscow reacts
As a consequence of the attack, all theaters and museums in Moscow will remain closed over the weekend, including world-famous ones such as the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had previously said that all major events in Europe’s largest city had been canceled. The authorities also canceled mass events in the Moscow area.
In 2002, Chechen gunmen took control of 850 people in a musical theater. On the fourth day of the drama, the domestic secret service stunned the captors and the hostages with a gas. The terrorists were shot. 135 hostages died, most of them due to inadequate medical care.