Russian band Picnic has returned to the stage, just five days after it was caught up in the Crocus terror attack.
The rock band held a memorial concert in St. Petersburg on Wednesday (March 27) night. It was due to perform last Friday (March 22), when gunmen stormed Moscow's Crocus City Hall, killing at least 140 people.
Picnic lead singer Edmund Shklyarsky performs at a memorial concert for the Crocus attack victims on March 27. /Reuters
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Islamist militants were to blame, while U.S. officials say they have intelligence pointing specifically to Islamic State Khorasan, the network's Afghan branch.
The gunmen opened fire as 6,200 fans gathered to watch Picnic's performance on March 22. Russian officials say after the shooting the attackers set fire to the concert hall. A member of the band's support staff was among the dead. Picnic also lost all of its equipment in the blaze.
Parts of Crocus City Hall were engulfed in flames after gunmen stormed the concert venue on March 22. /Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Band leader, Edmund Shklyarsky, paid tribute to the victims on Wednesday, saying "I know that some people have come for one particular reason - I'm talking about people who came from Moscow and who were at Crocus."
Olga Fidrya was one of the Crocus survivors who attended the memorial concert. "We were hiding, we inhaled smoke, but we managed to get out," says Fidrya. "Thank God, all of us managed to survive."
Fidrya's husband, Efim, says he wanted to offer support to others affected by the attack. "When we learned that this concert was going to take place and it was paying tribute to victims, my wife said, 'Let's go', and I said yes. We also wanted to prove that we will not be scared."
Riot police inspect bags as people gather for a memorial concert in honor of the Crocus attack victims. /Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
Vasya Lozhkin was also at the concert on Wednesday. He said Russians should send a message to the attackers, if their goal was to terrorise people. "The music must play on," says Lozhkin. "If not, this would mean that the terrorists achieved their goal of scaring people. But they will fail to intimidate us."
A man looks through a window as police guard the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall ahead of Picnic's memorial concert. /Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
Picnic says it thought of cancelling Wednesday's concert out of respect for the Crocus victims. It then decided to go ahead, saying it would donate all proceeds to those affected by the massacre.
The band is set to hold more shows across Russia over the next few days.
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