Punishing the Crocus perpetrators: The closed-door trial over Russia’s deadliest terrorist attack in decades ends with 15 life sentences and lingering questions

On March 22, 2024, a group of terrorists stormed the Crocus City Hall entertainment complex outside Moscow, opened fire on the crowd, and then set fire to the building. At least 150 people were killed, making this the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Russian history since the 2004 Beslan school siege. The four gunmen stood trial alongside 15 alleged accomplices, and on March 12, 2026, a Moscow court sentenced nearly all the defendants to life in prison. Meduza looks back on how the closed...