On 22 March 2024, the Russian band Piknik was scheduled to play a sold-out show at Crocus City Hall.[17][18] At around 20:00 MSK (UTC+3),[19] before the band began their performance, masked gunmen in combat fatigues opened fire on the crowd using assault rifles.[20][21] At the time of the attack, children and teenagers were also in the building for a ballroom dancing competition.[22] The venue's security guards were unarmed, and some of them were believed to be among those killed in the attack.[23]
One witness described the attackers as bearded men.[24] Amateur video footage taken at the event showed masked gunmen shooting indiscriminately in the entrance hall and auditorium.[25] Other footage posted to Telegram showed men in military fatigues and baseball caps firing into crowds of screaming people.[26] The assailants were also reported to have used incendiary devices. One eyewitness claimed the assailants used petrol bombs to start a fire in the auditorium.[22] Amateur video footage posted to social media sites showed huge fires and plumes of smoke coming from the building from the fires set by the assailants.[26]
At 21:32, an explosion was reported, and part of the roof collapsed at around 22:00.[27][better source needed] Moscow governor Andrey Vorobyov claimed the roof over the hall collapsed.[28] Some early reports indicated that the gunmen barricaded themselves within the building.[29]
Specialized police units from the Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR) and Special Purposes Mobile Unit (OMON) were sent to the scene.[30] They arrived over 1 hour after the shootings started, according to Nexta.[31] Vorobyov went to the scene to set up a task force to handle the situation.[26] The National Guard of Russia was also dispatched to search for the assailants,[25] with a picture posted of the suspected assailants fleeing in a white Renault car.[32]
Medical helicopters were used to evacuate survivors.[33] 70 ambulance crews had been dispatched.[24] An unknown number of people fled to the parking area from the stage, while others fled to the roof.[34] Authorities evacuated approximately 100 people hiding in the basement.[13]Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading.[35] Three helicopters were deployed to dump water on the burning rooftop.[36]
By 07:00 on 23 March, Vorobyov reported the fire had been contained and mostly extinguished.[37] The roof over the hall collapsed.[38] Video released by Moscow's state governor the next day showed extensive damage to the building with the roof and upper rows of the concert hall completely collapsed.[39]
At least 137 people were killed.[10] More than 145 people were injured, 107 people were sent to a hospital.[40] At least 60 people are in critical condition.[21][41] Aside from gunshot wounds, some of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation.[42] According to the Russian Minister of Health, Mikhail Murashko, five children were injured in the attack.[41]
The members of Picnic later posted on Instagram that they and their management were "alive and safe,"[43] with TASS later reporting that they had been evacuated.[44]