A RUSSIAN court has handed down life sentences to four gunmen and several accomplices over the Crocus City Hall attack that left 150 people dead.
The massacre – the deadliest jihadist assault in Russia in more than two decades – was claimed by Islamic State.
Tajik nationals Shamsidin Fariduni, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Makhammadsobir Fayzov and Saidakrami Rachabolizoda were all sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday.
Eleven other men – including several Russian citizens – were also jailed for life after being found guilty of acting as accomplices in the atrocity.
A further four defendants, including a father and his sons, received prison terms ranging from 19 to 22 years for their links to the attack.
The court also ordered the men to pay fines ranging from £4,700 to £25,000.
In a dramatic twist, Russian state media reported that two defendants — Dzhabrail Aushyev and Khusein Medov — pleaded to be sent to fight in Ukraine instead of serving life sentences.
Throughout the war, Russia has regularly recruited prisoners to bolster its military campaign.
According to his lawyer, Medov said he wanted to “redeem his guilt with blood”.
The attack took place in March 2024, when the gunmen stormed the venue shortly before a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic.
Dressed in camouflage and armed with automatic weapons, they opened fire on the crowd before setting the building ablaze, trapping many victims inside.
Witnesses described scenes of horror as the attackers shot civilians at point-blank range, leaving bodies piled high inside the packed concert hall.
The suspects were arrested just hours after the massacre and later appeared in court in Moscow with visible signs of severe beatings.
More than 600 people were injured in the attack, and six children were among those killed.
Investigators later said the gunmen had taken a substance known as “chemical courage”, a drug believed to allow attackers to carry out violence without hesitation.
The substance had previously been used by militants involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel.
Uliana Filippochkina, whose twin brother Gregory died in the attack, said she was “satisfied” with the verdict.
“They didn’t explain anything, they tried to escape responsibility, appealing to the fact that they had wives and children… That they were under the influence of drugs,” she said.
“There was no sympathy or remorse whatsoever.”
Two years after the atrocity, lawyers say many victims are still receiving treatment for their injuries.
Others continue to suffer from severe trauma, including symptoms consistent with PTSD that leave them unable to sleep, use public transport or be in crowded places.
The attack occurred two years into Russia’s war with Ukraine.
At the time, the Kremlin suggested there could be a Ukrainian connection though nothing was proved.
Russia’s Investigative Committee of Russia claimed the attack had been “planned and carried out in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine in order to destabilize the political situation in our country”.
Officials also noted that the suspected gunmen attempted to flee toward Ukraine after the massacre.
Ukraine quickly rejected the allegations and denied any involvement.
In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said: “There are no red lines for Putin’s dictatorship.
“It is ready to kill its own citizens for political purposes.”
