A Moscow court convicted 19 people over their roles in the March 22, 2024 attack at Crocus City Hall, where assailants opened fire on people waiting for a concert and then set the venue on fire, killing 149 people and wounding more than 600, according to the Associated Press.
The AP reported that a court in Moscow on Thursday sentenced all 19 defendants to prison terms, including 15 life sentences and additional years for the rest. The trial began in August 2025 in a military court, which the report said is customary for terrorism charges, and it was conducted behind closed doors with authorities citing security concerns.
Prosecutors’ account tied the attack to a claim of responsibility by a faction of the Islamic State group, the report said, and described four gunmen—identified in the AP report as citizens of Tajikistan—who shot people waiting for a popular rock band performance before the building was set ablaze.
The AP said the verdict specified that those given life sentences would serve part of their terms in a prison and the rest in a special regime penal colony. It also reported that the court ordered fines ranging from 500,000 rubles (about $6,300) to 2.7 million rubles (about $34,000).
In its reporting, AP said the Moscow trial judges were military court judges and that three judges presided over the case. The AP also reported that the proceedings took place with the public excluded.
The AP reported that Russia’s top criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, said the attack was “planned and carried out in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine in order to destabilize the political situation in our country.” It also reported that the Investigative Committee said the four suspected gunmen tried to flee to Ukraine and were arrested hours after the attack.
The AP added that the suspected gunmen later appeared in a Moscow court with signs of being severely beaten, and that independent Russian outlet Mediazona reported on other people tried alongside them, including three men accused of selling the suspected gunmen a car and a man from whom they rented an apartment, along with 10 other defendants accused of terrorist ties.
The verdict also landed in a continuing dispute over responsibility between Russia and Ukraine. The AP said President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have claimed—without presenting evidence—that Ukraine had a role in the attack, while Kyiv has strongly denied involvement.