RUSSIAN COURT SENTENCES 19 OVER 2024 MOSCOW CONCERT HALL ATTACK. (PHOTO).

 Russian court sentences 19 over 2024 Moscow concert hall attack

  

A Moscow court on Thursday convicted 19 people for their roles in the 2024 shooting at a concert hall that left 149 dead and more than 600 injured, one of the deadliest attacks in the city in years.

The March 22, 2024, attack at Crocus City Hall was claimed by a faction of the Islamic State group. Authorities said four gunmen, all citizens of Tajikistan, opened fire on concertgoers waiting for a rock band performance and then set the building on fire.

All 19 defendants received lengthy prison terms: 15 were sentenced to life, one to 22½ years, and three to 19 years and 11 months. Those serving life sentences will spend part of their term in prison and the remainder in a special regime penal colony. Fines ranging from 500,000 rubles (around $6,300) to 2.7 million rubles ($34,000) were also imposed.

The trial began in August 2025 in a military court, as is standard for terrorism cases, and was held behind closed doors for security reasons, with three military court judges presiding.

Russian authorities, including President Vladimir Putin, have claimed without evidence that Ukraine played a role in the attack, a claim Kyiv has denied. The Investigative Committee said the attack was “planned and carried out in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine to destabilize the political situation in our country,” and noted that the four suspected gunmen tried to flee to Ukraine before being arrested hours after the attack. Reports indicated they appeared in court showing signs of severe beating.

Others tried alongside the gunmen included three men who sold them a car, a man who rented them an apartment, and 10 additional individuals accused of terrorist connections.