Explosions shattered the evening calm at the Crocus City Hall concert venue just outside Moscow on Friday as gunmen unleashed a deadly assault on concertgoers.
The attack comes less than a week after Vladimir Putin secured his sixth term as president of Russia.
Russian authorities say at least 40 people are confirmed dead.
The federal investigation agency swiftly labeled the incident as a terrorist attack, while the Federal Security Service reported over a hundred others injured.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the events unfolding in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow’s city limits, as a “horrible tragedy.”
Gunmen roaming
Video footage circulating on Russian Telegram channels captured the chaos inside the theater, with gunmen roaming the bright foyer as terrified individuals sought refuge amidst pools of blood.
While the authenticity of the footage couldn’t be independently verified by The Wall Street Journal, it depicted a scene of panic and violence.
Reports from the state news agency TASS detailed an explosion at the venue, with part of the complex engulfed in flames and thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the attack in a message on Telegram, calling it a “monstrous crime” that warranted condemnation from the global community.
The concert, featuring the art rock band Picnic, was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. local time and had sold out, according to ticket retailers.
Witnesses recounted how the attackers stormed into the concert hall, indiscriminately firing at attendees and deploying smoke bombs.
Gunfire subsides
Social media footage captured the frantic scene as people rushed to escape through the venue’s glass doors after the gunfire subsided. Thankfully, the musicians emerged unharmed, as reported by TASS. The fate of the gunmen remains unclear.
The assault bears unsettling similarities to past terrorist attacks perpetrated by Chechen insurgents in Moscow during the 2000s, challenging the aura of strength that Putin has sought to project ahead of his recent electoral victory.
Despite the landslide win, which positions him to rival Stalin as Russia’s longest-serving leader, such violence underscores ongoing security threats within the country.
