A week after the country’s worst terror attack in two decades, distraught Russians continued to gather at the Crocus City Hall concert hall outside Moscow on Friday to express their grief and anger.

On March 22, gunmen entered this concert hall in Krasnohorsk, then opened fire on the crowd and set fire to the building. At least 144 people were killed and 360 injured in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

After the initial confusion, the Kremlin admitted that “radical Islamists” were behind the attack, but continued to see a connection to Ukraine. Twelve suspects were arrested, including four alleged attackers who were from Tajikistan.

On Friday, a pile of flowers, handwritten letters and toys continued to grow just a few steps from the burning building, where rescuers were still searching for the bodies of the victims of the previous days, AFP journalists observed.

“Monsters” / “Blame Ukraine”

“I especially cry for the children. Let the earth crumble under the feet of these monsters,” 72-year-old pensioner Tetyana cursed the attackers. She said that she had come to express her “condolences to the relatives of the victims”.

If some prefer to avoid speculation about the motives of the perpetrators of the attack, others blame Ukraine, repeating the rhetoric of the authorities and state media.

“Those who did it, who financed it, who facilitated it, are inhuman monsters. Now we know who acted against Russia. Let them burn in hell!” said 50-year-old cultural worker Vitalia, without specifying who she was accusing.

Ivan Marinich, a 29-year-old director who lost a friend during the attack, believes that “someone from Ukraine, a Ukrainian oligarch, is behind everything.”

His friend, 25-year-old disabled singer Maksym Verbenin, was killed by the attackers, but managed to protect his friend with his body, falling on top of her. The girl with burns as a result of the fire is in the hospital.

“We are one”

Ivan’s mother, 65-year-old Olena Marinich, is convinced that “Ukraine was behind this action.” She believes that the perpetrators of the massacre were citizens of Tajikistan “in order to be able to blame the Islamic State.”

The jihadist organization has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the attack, even broadcasting videos taken by the attackers during the massacre.

Like every terrorist attack, this tragedy has reignited the debate on the restoration of the death penalty in Russia. This idea is supported by 29-year-old Kateryna, a restaurateur, who calls for teaching people “how to behave in such situations, how to save yourself.”

Priests of Krasnohorsk hold services for the dead every two hours in front of the improvised memorial. This afternoon it was Serhiy Tsesnokov’s turn to serve.

“Tragedy united people. And the most important thing now is to preserve this spirit of unity,” he says, telling how people of different nationalities working in Russia come to his church to pray for the dead and wounded.

The posters in the middle of the mountain of flowers read: “Georgia mourns with you”, “Azerbaijan mourns with you”, “Tajik people mourn with you”.

On the day of the massacre, about fifty spectators who managed to escape from the concert hall hid in the nearby Orthodox church.

“Thank God, we are united. We are Russians, we are strong, we will win,” said 70-year-old pensioner Valentina.

Varvara Nikitina, a 30-year-old housewife, sighs: “Unfortunately, we cannot change what happened, but we can pray for the dead, we can pray for those who are still in the hospital. I’m here for that, it’s my duty.” (AFP report)

On the same topic:

• Russia says it prevented an attack in the south of the country and arrested three people
• Moscow attack: ISIS says there was ‘reason’ why four attackers ‘quickly left’ concert hall and caused no more casualties