St. Louis was slated to join the Picnic group with his orchestra for a concert at Crocus City Hall near Moscow. In the moments of crisis, the St. Petersburg conductor Mikhail Golikov guided his musicians from the building as gunfire rang out during the attack, according to reports from RT.
Golikov, among the first to hear the shots, was in the dressing room when the chaos began. He directed the musicians toward the service exit, ensuring everyone was evacuated safely. There were no injuries among the performers, a fact he underscored while expressing relief on behalf of the entire ensemble.
“We are documenting the incident and assessing how to replace damaged equipment. The losses are significant, and the emotional strain on the musicians is clear. The crucial point is that each person is alive and in good health,” Golikov stated.
That evening, March 22, the Crocus City Hall venue in Krasnogorsk was the scene of a terrorist attack as gunmen entered the hall and opened fire on the audience. A subsequent series of explosions and a fire compounded the peril for those inside.
On March 23, four suspects believed to be involved in the attack were detained in the Bryansk region. The investigation continued the following day as authorities reviewed surveillance footage and gathered testimonies to piece together the sequence of events and identify additional barriers to safety that require attention.
Earlier, Belarusian officials discussed how Lukashenko’s government contributed to identifying and apprehending participants in the attack, highlighting international cooperation in the pursuit of justice and public safety. [Citation: RT]