Russians rush to join army seeking to avenge Moscow concert hall attack

Russia on Wednesday (April 3) reported a dramatic increase in the number of people signing contracts to join the nation's armed forces. As per a Reuters report, this surge in the number of people signing up for the Russian army follows the deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow last month that killed at least 144 people.

New recruits

As per the Russian defence ministry, more than 100,000 people have signed contracts since the beginning of the year. Of this, about 16,000 have signed up in the past 10 days alone.

In a statement, the ministry said that many recent candidates cited a desire to avenge those killed in the March 22 attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue.

"During interviews conducted over the past week at selection points in Russian cities, most candidates indicated the desire to avenge those killed in the tragedy that occurred on March 22, 2024, in the Moscow region as the main motive for concluding a contract," it said.

Who was behind the Moscow attack?

At least 144 people died in the mass shooting attack and the subsequent fire. This is the worst attack in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege.

Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, which, as per reports, is also the deadliest on European soil by the group.

However, Russia blames Ukraine for the terror incident.

Russian officials, including Alexander Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the security council of Russia, have accused Ukraine and its allies, the US, and Britain, of involvement.

"We believe that the action was prepared by both the Islamist radicals themselves and was facilitated by Western special services," said Bortnikov.

Watch |Moscow Terror Attack | Citizens express pain and anger on the attack of innocents

"The special services of Ukraine are directly related to this," he added.

However, there is no evidence to support these claims.

Ukraine has denied involvement in the attack, with officials pointing out that the border area was heavily guarded by the Russian military, including special forces.

"To suggest the suspects were heading to Ukraine, would suggest they were stupid or suicidal," said Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military intelligence directorate in a conversation with BBC.

(With inputs from agencies)