‘Massacre, horrible’: World reacts to deadly terrorist attack in Russia, Ukraine denies role

At least 60 people were left dead and more than 140 wounded as gunmen entered a Moscow concert hall on Friday (Mar 22) and opened fire. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on Crocus City Hall, described as one of the deadliest in Russia in decades. The US intelligence has confirmed the IS’s claim, which had warned about a terror attack inside Russia in recent weeks.

People said they heard “several machine gun bursts” and “a lot of screams” as the attack unfolded.

Here is how world leaders reacted to the attack:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident ‘heinous’ in a social media post, while saying India stands in solidarity with Russia. “We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief,” PM Modi wrote on X.

“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack at a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, the Russian Federation, on 22 March 2024,” the UNSC said in a statement.

“The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,” it added.

White House spokesperson John Kirby described the attack as “horrible”. “The images are just horrible and just hard to watch, and our thoughts obviously are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” he said.

A statement by Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak clarified his nation had nothing to do with the attack.

“We have a full-scale, all-out war with the Russian regular army and with the Russian Federation as a country. And regardless of everything, everything will be decided on the battlefield,” he said.

A statement was released by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni where she described the attack as a “massacre”.

“The horror of the massacre of innocent civilians in Moscow is unacceptable. Firm and total condemnation of the Italian government for this heinous act of terrorism,” she said.

The European Union is “shocked and appalled” by the reports of a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall, the bloc’s lead foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano has said.

Posting to social media, Stano said the EU “condemns any attacks against civilians”.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said it was a “bloody terrorist attack” that the entire world should condemn, according to AFP.

“The entire world community must condemn this despicable crime,” she wrote on Telegram.

French President Emmanuel Macron termed the shooting a “terrorist attack”. Macron, in a statement, said he “firmly condemns this terrorist attack, claimed by the Islamic State”. He further said that France stands in solidarity with the victims of the shooting.