“I couldn’t remain ignorant”: a resident of Sochi flew to Moscow in search of her father who disappeared in the terrorist attack

Sochi resident Karina flew to Moscow to find out what happened to her father, 54-year-old Dmitry Zheurov. Together with his friend Tatyana, he was at the concert of the Picnic group at Crocus City Hall on March 22. As Tatyana reported, the man received a gunshot wound and was unable to get out of the hall.

“I called the hotline for relatives of the victims. They recorded the data. They said: “Wait, they will contact you.” But no one called. Therefore, I decided to go myself and find out on the spot,” Karina said in an interview with RT.

According to her, her father is not on the list of dead and injured. Because of this, she could not take advantage of the airlines' offer of free transportation for loved ones injured during the attack. RT paid for Karina’s flight to Moscow and back. 

“I couldn’t remain in the dark at home,” continues RT’s interlocutor. — My husband, mobilized to the Northern Military District, died a year ago, he was awarded the Order of Courage. And now my father is missing. My two most beloved men who loved me were gone in less than a year.”

The woman visited the headquarters, which is located near Crocus City Hall, and the forensic investigation bureau. There they took a DNA sample from her. According to Karina, the debris is being sorted out and the remains are being identified. She added that she had met several people in similar situations.

At home, Karina has two sons, three and six years old, who are looked after by her grandmother. 

Concert-compromise

Karina learned that her father was at that very concert on March 23 from a woman named Tatyana, a childhood friend of Dmitry Zheurov. According to Tatyana, friends bought tickets for the performance on January 26 and were really looking forward to this evening.

“Dmitry played the guitar very well in his youth, was a drummer in a group at school, and was generally fond of Russian rock,” Tatyana told RT. — And I prefer classical music. He told me that this concert would be a compromise, because we were going to see a rock band, but accompanied by a symphony orchestra.”

Dmitry and Tatiana's seats were in the second row of the amphitheater. When the terrorists started shooting at the spectators, RT’s interlocutor’s companion received a gunshot wound, and he hid Tatyana between the rows. The woman was able to get out of Crocus City Hall, after which she contacted investigators and Dmitry’s relatives. She refused hospitalization: she had minor burns, but Tatyana says that after her experience she needs psychological help.

Dmitry Zheurov graduated from the Omsk Military Tank School, was a career military man, and served in Germany. He went into the reserve after the withdrawal of the contingent from the GDR. He moved to Moscow from Sochi two years ago.

“Dmitry is a very close person to us,” adds Tatyana. “I told Karina that until I see with my own eyes some evidence that he doesn’t exist, I won’t believe it.” Literally the day before the terrorist attack, he told me that he spent 500 thousand rubles from his savings to help the front. He said that he himself would go to the Northern Military District, but he cannot because of his lameness. He couldn’t stay away and did what was needed.” 

The attack was carefully planned

The terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall concert hall occurred on the evening of March 22. According to the investigation, four terrorists burst into the building, starting to shoot spectators gathered for the performance of the Picnic group, after which they spilled flammable liquid in the hall and set it on fire. According to the latest data, 139 people were killed in the attack, including three children.

On the night of March 23, 11 people were detained on suspicion of committing a crime, including four perpetrators: Dalerjon Mirzoev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Shamsidin Fariduni.

“After committing the terrorist attack, the criminals tried to escape, moving by car towards the Russian-Ukrainian border. As a result of coordinated actions of special and law enforcement agencies, all four terrorists were detained within a few hours of each other in the Bryansk region,” the Public Relations Center of the FSB of the Russian Federation reported. 

The department emphasized that the terrorist attack was carefully planned: “The weapons used by the terrorists were prepared in advance in a cache.” After committing a terrorist act, the criminals intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side, the FSB TsOS noted. The detainees are now under arrest.