Actress Kristina Asmus spoke about the shocking event that unfolded at Crocus City Hall, recounting how she first learned about the terrorist attack while on set. The information arrived in a rush, breaking the rhythm of filming and replacing it with a heavy silence that hung in the studio air. She described a moment of numb disbelief, a distance from the camera that felt almost unreal, as if the world outside the set had suddenly shifted to a different, darker tempo.
Asmus recalled that facing the camera after what had happened seemed almost impossible. The magnitude of the tragedy threaded through every thought, turning ordinary moments into a blur. What mattered most, she later said, were not the performances or the lines, but the raw ache of the incident that rattled the sense of normalcy for everyone involved. The days that followed brought a refrain of heaviness, a stretch of days that carried the weight of extraordinary events colliding with ordinary lives.
“How terrible all this is,” she reflected, describing the sense of loss that lingered long after the headlines faded. Those days felt like a long, dark corridor where momentum gave way to inertia, and even simple tasks required a deliberate return to what mattered most. The emotion was not a single moment but a continuous thread that connected people to the memory of what occurred and to the ongoing process of healing.
After filming with Dima Bilan, Asmus visited the monument near Crocus City Hall. She chose the visit for its quiet, late-hour opportunity to reflect away from the bustle of media attention. The encounter with the paparazzi felt like an intrusion she wished to avoid, so she opted to arrive at a time when solitude might offer a reprieve from the relentless gaze of photographers. That choice underscored a larger need to process grief away from public scrutiny, to acknowledge the personal impact of the tragedy without the glare of cameras.
For a moment she described feeling exposed to an overwhelming tide of emotion. She found herself unexpectedly supported by a hug she described as necessary and grounding, a simple act that provided a measure of consolation in a moment that was otherwise chaotic. The memory of that hug stayed with her long after, a reminder that human connection can offer relief even in the darkest times. She acknowledged that she did not notice who filmed the moment, or how it came to be captured, and that her own senses seemed assaulted by sound and sight, leaving a clear imprint of the event on her mind.
In recognizing the help that poured in after the tragedy, Asmus expressed gratitude to the donors who contributed blood and funds, and to the volunteers who offered their time and energy. Her thanks extended beyond words to the tangible acts of solidarity that helped victims and their families in practical ways. The response she witnessed reinforced a sense that communities can rally in the aftermath of unspeakable events, providing crucial support when it is most needed.
The Crocus City Hall attack occurred on March 22, when gunmen entered the concert venue and opened fire on the audience before a scheduled performance by a popular group. The incident prompted a formal criminal investigation under Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, with authorities classifying it as a terrorist attack. The event shook many who were present and drew wide attention to security concerns and the aftermath of such violence in crowded public spaces. The investigation continued as investigators collected evidence, spoke with witnesses, and sought to understand the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
Earlier, the Golden Mask special award had been postponed in the wake of the Crocus City Hall incident, a decision that reflected the broader impact of the day on the arts community and its schedules. The postponement underscored how deeply the tragedy affected performances, organizations, and the people who temporarily paused plans to honor achievements in theatre and performance art. In the weeks that followed, conversations about resilience, remembrance, and responsibility echoed through cultural circles and media alike, as communities grappled with how to move forward while honoring those affected.