Last Friday’s attack at Crocus City Hall on the northwest outskirts of Moscow stands as the deadliest assault in the city since the 2002 Dubrovka theatre siege, where Chechen separatists held captive hundreds of visitors and ended with a tragic loss of life.
The confirmed toll rose to 143 deaths at the time of reporting, a figure Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov warned would likely climb as rescue teams continue removing victims from the rubble of the arena, which was set ablaze by the assailants themselves. More than a hundred people were wounded, and eighty remained in hospital at the moment.
The attack unfolds amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, a context that shapes the investigation being conducted by Russian authorities. The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) has informed President Vladimir Putin of eleven arrests, including four direct suspects, seized early Saturday near the town of Yatsun in the Bryansk region, about 340 kilometers southwest of Moscow.
The vehicle involved was a white Renault Symbol, likely the same car used to reach Crocus City Hall around 8 p.m. local time on Friday (6 p.m. in Spain). Investigators and witnesses cited by Kommersant report that at least four men exited the vehicle, armed with semi-automatic Saiga rifles, and opened fire almost immediately on those queuing to enter. Security guards at the venue, who were unarmed, were killed during the assault on a concert by the rock group Piknik.
According to footage reviewed by investigators, the attackers used double magazines secured with duct tape to speed reloads. They moved toward the main hall, sprayed gunfire, and caused a chaotic stampede. The firefight lasted somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes. They then set fires with lighter fluid, discarded their weapons, changed clothes, and blended back into the terrified crowd as they returned to their vehicle.
From the four main detainees, investigators have established that the Symbol car carried Tajik passports. Authorities are examining a possible link to the Islamist group Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack via a statement released through its Amaq news agency the night before.
However, the FSB has opened a probe line directed at Ukraine, arguing that early findings show the suspects were heading toward the border where they allegedly maintained significant contacts with the Ukrainian side. Kyiv denies any involvement in the attack, while Tajikistan’s foreign ministry urged calm pending official verification of the suspects’ nationalities so as not to provoke retaliation against Tajik citizens abroad.
In the meantime, Tajik authorities have had to deny on their official website claims that two Tajik nationals identified by Russian media as suspects took part in the assault, explaining that those individuals were in Tajikistan at the time of the attack.
Alerts
In recent hours, Moscow has faced international scrutiny after the United States warned of a possible terrorist attack inside Russia earlier this month. President Putin characterized that American alert as provocative behavior by Western officials aimed at destabilizing society, saying it felt like coercion to him.
He remarked that the warning appeared to be a form of pressure, noting that the United States embassy in Moscow had reported a potential imminent attack on major events, including concerts, on March 7. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Washington for not sharing concrete information with the Kremlin, while Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, contended that U.S. intelligence agencies had provided specific data to Russian authorities as part of standard warning procedures.
The Friday’s brutal assault is now referenced as part of a broader history of violence linked to Ukraine-related tensions and Putin’s consolidation of power. In Russia, past terror attacks have sometimes been attributed to Islamist militants within or near Russian borders, including deadly incidents in Beslan in 2004, the Moscow metro bombings in 2010, and the St. Petersburg metro bombing in 2017.
While the Beslan school siege and the metro bombings sparked long-lasting fears, recent events underscore how the country’s security apparatus continues to confront threats tied to both internal unrest and neighboring conflicts. The memory of those tragedies remains a touchstone in public discourse, shaping perceptions of safety and government response in Russia and beyond.
At the end of the day, the Crocus City Hall incident illustrates how at times, violence can erupt swiftly during large gatherings, leaving communities to reckon with questions of security, accountability, and resilience in the face of fear and uncertainty. The investigation continues, and officials insist that forthcoming updates will be communicated as verified information becomes available .