Russia’s Investigative Committee announced the death toll on Saturday, and warned that the number of fatalities may go higher as investigators continue to recover the bodies.

Unidentified gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorskon on Friday night, opening fire at people there. The building was set on fire during the attack. The fate of the terrorists remains unclear.

Russian media, referring to videos posted on social media, said that at least five gunmen were involved in the attack. They killed security guards before proceeding to indiscriminately fire at people in the lobby of the hall.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the incident as a bloody terrorist attack.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin canceled all large-scale events in the Russian capital for the weekend after the shooting at the Crocus City Hall.

The Kremlin meanwhile said that President Vladimir Putin was being updated by security chiefs about the situation.

FSB confirms it has arrested 11 suspects

Russia’s Federal Security Service issued a statement on Saturday, confirming that it has arrested 11 suspects whom it said were attempting to flee to the Ukraine border.

"As a result of the actions of the special services and law enforcement agencies, 11 people were detained, including 4 terrorists who were directly involved in the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall. After committing the terrorist attack, the criminals intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side", the FSB statement said, according to Russian media. 

Reacting furiously to the deadly shooting, former president and the current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called for “mercilessly destroying terrorists”.

“Terrorists understand only terror in response. No trials or investigations will help if force is not countered with force, and deaths with executions of terrorists and a crackdown on their families,” Medvedev wrote in a Telegram post, according to RT.

He also said that “these terrorists must be mercilessly destroyed” and Russia will not act indifferently if they “turn out to be the Kiev regime”.

Ukraine however has denied any involvement in the Moscow attack.

“Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia). It makes no sense whatsoever. Ukraine has been fighting with the Russian army for more than two years. And everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield…Terrorist attacks do not solve any problems”, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian president’s office said on X.

The Daesh terrorist group issued a statement on its official media outlet on Friday night, claiming responsibility for the attack in Moscow.