On a Friday, a brutal attack targeted a concert hall located on the outskirts of Moscow, marking the deadliest terrorist assault inside Russia since the Beslan tragedy in 2004. The incident sent shockwaves through the region and raised questions about security and response capabilities in major urban centers.
More than a hundred dead
At least 133 people lost their lives during the attack that occurred late on Friday, around 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT), before a scheduled concert at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, a municipality in the northwestern part of Moscow. Authorities warned that the final casualty figure could rise as rescue teams continued to search the debris for victims and the building remained engulfed in flames. Hospitals reported a large number of injured, underscoring the scale of the crisis and the strain on medical services in the hours after the event.
Four armed attackers with automatic rifles and explosives
According to the Federal Security Service, four assailants armed with automatic rifles, explosive devices, and incendiary bombs carried out the assault. The attackers managed to flee the scene but were later detained along with seven other people on a road in the Briansk region, near the border with Ukraine. Some of the detainees were injured after resisting apprehension. Security agencies indicated that the attackers aimed to cross into Ukraine and had maintained contact with individuals in that country who allegedly promised a safe exit.
IS claims responsibility for the attack
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the shooting, according to Amaq, the organization’s propaganda outlet, which reported the event via its Telegram channel. Experts noted that IS may have framed the attack as a punishment for Russia’s actions in Syria, its crackdown on Chechen Islamist groups, and its cooperation with certain actors opposed to IS interests. The last major jihadist strike on Russian soil before this incident occurred in 2017, when a metro attack in Saint Petersburg killed 14 people and wounded many others.
Russian officials and regional leaders have suggested possible Ukrainian involvement, a claim rejected by Kyiv and corroborated by U.S. officials who cautioned that the allegations require careful verification and should be treated with skepticism during ongoing investigations.
Russia acknowledges U.S. warnings
Western embassies had alerted Moscow on March 8 to potential terrorist threats in public gatherings ahead of the March 15–17 presidential elections. President Vladimir Putin later dismissed those warnings. The day before the attack, security services reported the neutralization of an Islamic State cell in the Kaluga region that had planned an attack on a Moscow synagogue. U.S. officials provided the intelligence to Russia, describing the information as general in nature and not containing specific details.
Putin issues orders but remains silent
Putin, confirmed for a new six-year term, has not issued a public statement about the incident. The Kremlin noted that the president was informed of the shooting shortly after the attackers opened fire. In the following hours, Putin held discussions with security service chiefs, and on Saturday, the FSB briefed him on the arrests of the suspected terrorists. Historically, Putin’s early leadership years included actions to dismantle Islamist factions in the North Caucasus, a period often cited by analysts when assessing Russia’s counterterrorism posture.
The gravest attack since Beslan
Officials described this incident as the most lethal terrorist act in Russia since the Beslan school siege, in which 334 people died, half of them children. Beslan began when armed chechen militants seized more than 1,200 people, including many schoolchildren, forcing the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. Rescue operations were criticized due to the use of heavy weaponry and the placement of explosives inside the building, drawing condemnation from the families of the students and human rights observers. Moscow’s more recent violent episode prior to this attack occurred in 2011, when a Caucasian suicide bomber detonated a device at Domodedovo International Airport, resulting in 37 deaths and numerous injuries.
The ongoing investigation and the political response continue to unfold as authorities work to stabilize the city and confirm the full scope of casualties. As officials emphasize, the security landscape in the region remains fragile, and standard procedures in public safety are under renewed scrutiny in the aftermath of this tragedy. Citations: (Source: national security agencies and corroborating press outlets).