Russia grieves for concert hall attack victims

Russia marked a national day of mourning for over 130 people who were killed in a devastating attack at a suburban Moscow concert hall and for victims who are still unaccounted for. The country paused on Sunday, halting events at cultural institutions, suspending TV entertainment and advertising, and lowering flags to half-staff. Mourners gathered at a multicultural vigil site near the burnt-out concert venue, including people like Andrey Kondakov, who expressed shared grief and disbelief, offering condolences and tribute to the victims and their loved ones. Others, like Marina Korshunova, pointed to the incomprehensible loss of even small children in the tragic event.

An affiliate of the Islamic State group is blamed for the deadliness of the Friday attack, the worst of its kind on Russian soil in years. As recovery efforts continue, the climbing death toll reflects the numerous bodies found as emergency teams painstakingly probe the remains of the damaged building. With casualties numbering in the hundreds, numerous families are still unsure if their relatives survived the event. Igor Pogadaev is one such person, who discontinued communicating with his wife since she attended the concert.

Despite Igor’s effort to find Yana immediately following the attack, he has come up with nothing, finding no trace of her among the crowds of rescued concertgoers, ambulances, or in any public reports. Pogadaev, despite exhausting all possible leads, has been unable to come to terms with the possibility that his wife might be among the fatalities of the terrorist attack. Still, the desolate husband has yet to go home, staying instead with a friend for company.

Russia is moving quickly to secure the site and gather evidence, with the Moscow Region’s Emergency Situations Ministry sharing video clips of equipment disassembling the damaged venue to support rescue efforts. Amid recovery efforts, President Vladimir Putin tries to link the attack to Ukraine—a claim the Ukrainian government strongly refutes. Russian authorities reportedly captured four suspects on Saturday. They were among 11 people detained under suspicion of involvement in the attack, with Putin claiming that they were attempting to flee to Ukraine.

Despite Putin’s attempts to link Ukraine to the attack, claims came in from the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate claiming responsibility for the assault. Putin, ignoring this claim, is said to use the angle of Ukrainian involvement presumably to excite fervor for Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The U.S. has reported confirmation of the IS affiliate’s involvement, with National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson emphasizing a total lack of Ukrainian involvement. This attack on Russia happened just days after Putin secured leadership of the country for six additional years, following the harshest crackdown on dissent since the Soviet era. Large-scale attacks driven by IS have long threatened Russia and continue to do so.