Suspects in the March 2024 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack have claimed that Ukrainian authorities ordered the massacre, according to Russian media reports citing official interrogation transcripts, reports RT.
The deadly attack occurred on March 22, 2024, when four armed men stormed the popular music venue near Moscow, opened fire on concertgoers, and set the building ablaze. The assault left 149 people dead and more than 600 injured. The gunmen were apprehended shortly afterward while attempting to flee by car, reportedly heading toward the Ukrainian border.
While the Islamic State affiliate ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the atrocity, investigators now allege that a “Ukrainian state entity” orchestrated the operation behind the scenes, with ISIS-K acting as the direct executor. Russian outlets report that the suspects said the weapons used in the assault originated from Ukrainian territory.
The accused—Dalerdhzon Mirzoyev, Saidokrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsiddin Fariduni, and Muhammadsobir Faizov—are all citizens of Tajikistan. According to RIA Novosti, Rachabalizoda told investigators that a man known to them as ‘Saifullo’ had instructed the group to flee to Kiev, promising each around $13,000. The suspects also allegedly said their coordinators were based in Türkiye and Afghanistan.
TASS reports one suspect claimed the operation was designed to appear solely as an ISIS-K mission, potentially obscuring any direct state involvement.
Ukraine has firmly denied any connection to the Crocus City Hall massacre. However, Kyiv has previously acknowledged responsibility for various clandestine operations inside Russian territory, including targeted assassinations, sabotage of infrastructure, and attacks on railway lines. In May 2025, one such sabotage operation caused a train derailment that killed five people and injured more than 100.
The Russian investigation into the Crocus City Hall attack continues amid mounting geopolitical tensions and conflicting narratives over the perpetrators’ true affiliations.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
