Russia declares national mourning for victims of Crocus City Hall terrorist attack

On March 24, Russia began a day of mourning for the victims of the March 22 night terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to declare national mourning in a televised address the day before, Caliber.Az reports.

He expressed sincere condolences to all those who lost their relatives and friends. "Together with you, the whole country, all our people are mourning," the Russian president said.

Major federal media holdings will change their broadcasting schedules in connection with the day of national mourning declared on March 24.

All federal museums of Russia will hold a minute of silence at noon in Moscow on the day of nationwide mourning for those killed in the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, which will be held in Russia on March 24, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation ordered the flags on the buildings of Russian foreign institutions to be lowered.

Camouflage-clad gunmen with automatic weapons burst into a packed concert hall near Moscow, where the veteran rock band Picnic was to perform, shooting into the crowd and setting the building on fire.

The attack on the Crocus City Hall on March 22 killed at least 133 people and injured more than 100. Russian authorities expected the number of casualties to rise.

The blaze ripped through the venue, with smoke filling the building and screaming visitors rushing to emergency exits.

The concert hall, one of the most popular in Moscow, can hold some 6,200 people.

Graphic videos posted on social media showed the gunmen firing repeated rounds as they entered the building, shooting at screaming people at point-blank range.

Helicopters were brought in to douse the flames from the air, as firefighters battled the flames from the ground. The fire was eventually brought under control early on Saturday.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said firefighters helped about 100 people escape through the building’s basement, while rescue operations were also launched for people trapped on the roof.

ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIL (ISIS), the hardline group that once sought control over Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channel, saying the gunmen had escaped.

Russian investigators said on march 23 that 11 people had been detained so far.