Russian artist Alyona Kazinskaya and a friend had bought last-minute tickets to see Soviet-era rock group "Picnic" perform last Friday night (March 22) near Moscow, not knowing they would be caught up in the deadliest attack inside Russia in 20 years.

Moscow

Russian artist Alyona Kazinskaya and a friend decided on a spur-of-the-moment to attend a concert by the Soviet-era rock group "Picnic" near Moscow. Unbeknownst to them, this decision would place them in the midst of the deadliest attack inside Russia in two decades. The concert, scheduled for last Friday night, turned from an evening of entertainment to a night marked by tragedy. 

The attack not only disrupted what was supposed to be a leisurely outing for Kazinskaya and her friend but also shocked the community, marking a rare and devastating occurrence in the region. As survivors, Kazinskaya and her companion bore witness to an event that has since been recognized as the most significant of its kind in Russia in 20 years, highlighting a moment of violence that stands apart from the country's recent history of relative internal security.



Moscow shooting survivor recounts harrowing moments

This was part of a 10-second audio message Russian artist Alena Kazinskaya posted on her Telegram channel. The night four gunmen rampaged through Krokus City Hall near Moscow. That first message came at 8.01 p.m. after Kazinskaya and a friend had bought last-minute tickets to see Soviet-era rock group Piknik. I heard shooting. I realized it wasn't squibs. At first I thought maybe it's a special effect but then no. It doesn't sound like that. So I poked my friend and she said, people, get up, let's run. At 8.08 p.m. she wrote three messages on her phone in quick succession. Police ring the police, Krokus City Hall, shooting. Kazinskaya and her friend had managed to escape the hall but found themselves still trapped inside the building. The shooting stopped but there was now another danger, fire. The gunmen had used gasoline to set the huge concert hall ablaze and the two friends took refuge in a toilet. They tried half a dozen times to get out but were forced to keep retreating. At 8.23 p.m. she left a four-second audio message. She thought it would be her last. I love you, goodbye. Then eight minutes later at 8.31 p.m. another message. I'm alive, I'm in an ambulance, I got out, thank you. I didn't realize I was safe. I had only two thoughts, first, I need first aid because I can't breathe, my lungs were burning and I was having an asthma attack. And the second thought was I have to get as far away from the building as I can, get behind the cars as fast as possible because if something happens, I'm a target, I'm in white, those two thoughts and somehow I made my way forward. Returning home, Kashinskaya says she just hugged everyone. She says she draws comfort from the amount of support she has received but that it will be a long time before she goes to clubs or big concerts again.

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