Fearful Moscow Terror Through the Eyes of a Chinese Person

the worst day of Russia

Gunshots disrupted the performance.

On the evening of March 22, 2024, at 8 p.m. local time, Vik, a friend of international student Li Yuanping, was in a concert hall in Klokus City, a suburb of Moscow. He was sitting in the mezzanine’s atrium when he witnessed three armed individuals in camouflage uniforms pulling out automatic rifles.

After the incident, numerous ambulances were spotted near the concert hall.

As a Russian, Vik’s reaction was instinctual — duck down first, and run downstairs as soon as the gunfire ceased. Midway, more people surged forward. He recalls hiding in a corner of the building amidst the chaos for a long time.

About an hour later, Vik, having reached safety, realized that a terrorist attack had occurred.

Li Yuanping received Vik’s message while in a taxi. At 26, he had come to Moscow for his studies two years earlier and lived in the city center. He had just visited Klokus City last month for an outdoor expo. Checking his phone, he abruptly grasped the severity of the situation, cursing silently.