“The flowers withered, the toys were blown away by the wind”: what is happening near the Crocus two weeks after the terrorist attack

On the night when Crocus was burning, I was 100 meters from the burning building. Journalists were not allowed any closer. Two weeks later, I went to the site of the terrorist attack along the same road that I walked that evening: from the metro, past the construction site, then along the embankment. This non-busy route is not usually taken. Everyone turns in the other direction, towards the Vegas shopping center.

There are metal fences along the road to Crocus. Traffic police officers are on duty every 100 meters. Cars are not allowed to enter.

“People started being allowed to the embankment only two days ago,” said one of the construction workers.

They actually missed me. I reached the parking lot near the Crocus, where the terrorists were leaving. Today there are only police cars and one dead Volga with Nizhny Novgorod license plates. Perhaps the owner of this car never showed up. But there was no one to clarify this point. The police are not being frank in this situation. Noticing me, law enforcement officers asked me to leave: “The investigative committee is working here, and it’s not safe to be here.”

“Before we were given spray cans and batons, now nothing”

After the terrorist attack, people brought flowers and toys not only to the memorial, but also left bouquets along the road on the Moscow Ring Road. Now there is a sad sight there: the flowers have withered, the wind scattered the teddy bears, and overturned the buckets in which the bouquets stood.

At the memorial itself, no one cleans up the wilted flowers and deflated white balloons. A metal fence fell on the toys and lay there without anyone noticing.

“In the mornings, janitors sweep the area around and that’s it,” reported the policeman on duty.

The janitor who was sweeping the street nearby spoke practically no Russian. When asked if they were going to remove the wilted flowers, he rolled his eyes: “Where?”

On Friday afternoon there were few people at the memorial: a few journalists, a couple of onlookers and a young man who was streaming in Chinese. People paid attention to the sign nailed to the wooden boards: “The Tajik people are shocked and mourn with you.”

A few steps from the memorial, a tent “Mobile point of the Russian Red Cross” has been pitched, an ambulance is on duty and the headquarters continues to work, where the victims and relatives of the victims come. Near the entrance there is a sign: “Issue of things.” Two men came out with boxes. They got into the car and quickly drove away. Following them appeared a young couple dressed in black. We headed towards the fences at Crocus. We stopped and looked at the burnt roof for a long time.

“They come to us not only for things, but also on other issues, because the investigative committee works here,” explained the security guard at the headquarters. — We let you in strictly based on your passports.

Next to the concert hall there is an exhibition center. According to a security guard at the complex, all events planned before the terrorist attack were canceled “until further notice.”

— People pay rent, but there are no exhibitions. It is unknown when they will open. As far as I understand, the decision depends on the investigative committee,” explained the person on duty at the entrance.

My interlocutor is a pleasant, polite, middle-aged man. Apart from the metal detector, the guard had nothing else with him.

– Previously, they at least gave us batons and a gas canister, that was a long time ago. And then everything was banned. Suddenly you accidentally press the can and spray. So we cannot do anything against terrorists. In this case, we can only press the quick response button.

– You might not have time to press.

– So what to do? I work strictly according to instructions. In the event of an emergency, I press the button and block the passage with protective tape. I direct people in the right direction.

When asked what is currently happening inside Crocus, the interlocutor shrugs: “They don’t let us in there. We can’t even get into the parking lot. They say it’s dangerous to be there, because the roof is burned, the structure is damaged, and it could collapse. Recently there was a hurricane and something fell from there.”

“Psychologically, people are afraid to enter a shopping center”

While the Crocus exhibition centers will open after “special orders,” the Vegas shopping center was closed for only two days after the terrorist attack. On March 25, stores resumed work. The only problem is with visitors. According to shopping center employees, people are afraid to come here. Although security at the entrance has been strengthened: bags of all visitors are now carefully checked.

“If a lot of people come, a queue will form,” I noted.

– Those who need it will be patient. “The rest of us go out,” the guard snapped.

That day when I was in the shopping center, there weren’t a lot of people here.

“This is the second week we’ve seen this picture, even on weekends it’s empty, we’ve never seen anything like this,” complained the cashier in the cosmetics department.

The coffee seller confirmed: “It’s psychologically difficult for people to come here, time must pass.”

The situation at the children’s trampoline center is the same: “We hope everything will work out and people will return.”

And at the entrance to the “Everything for the Holidays” store they put up a pink, battery-powered dancing bunny. “They put it up specifically to attract attention, maybe at least someone will look in,” explained the young man.

The restaurants are also deserted. One cafe was completely closed. Although the waiters claim that in the first days after the opening of the shopping center, the establishments really worked idle, and on the weekend people went: “Life goes on. We won’t change anything anyway.”

There is a cinema on the 4th floor. There is complete collapse here: not a single person.

— Before the terrorist attack, traffic was 2,500-3,000 people a day. Now there are 300-400 visitors on weekends, and 40 on weekdays,” said a cinema employee. “But people are still coming to their senses, the situation is returning to normal.” In addition, after the terrorist attack, our security was strengthened. At the entrance to the shopping center there are two people from the SOBR. Previously, he was alone, yawned, and let everyone pass. Now, before closing, the entire shopping center is checked by dog ​​handlers. It’s a pity that the underground parking is closed for an indefinite time. Everyone parks on the street, in courtyards.

To say that life in the Crocus area has come to a standstill is not entirely true. A man who was cleaning the cabins of the Ferris wheel near the nearest metro assured that his attraction was not idle: “On warm days, people rode, crowds walked nearby.” According to the owner of Chaikhona, they are also doing well. When I asked if they encountered any problems after the terrorist attack, the man replied: “No, what are you saying, everything is fine with us, we have visitors.”

It’s just a pity that on the day of my arrival I didn’t see a single person either on the Ferris wheel or in the Chaikhona.