No Chinese casualties reported in Moscow shooting that killed more than 60

The Russian embassy in China expressed gratitude to Chinese social media users who sent condolences for the victims and their families. On its official Weibo account, the embassy wrote: “We’ve received the condolences from the Chinese people. Thank you for your support!”

‘The crowds were chaotic’: how the gun attack at Moscow concert unfolded

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of Chinese nationalist tabloid Global Times, said the attack was a “test for the military security” of the Moscow core area and a political test for incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, who won the country’s presidential election earlier this month.

Putin’s re-election will allow him to rule until at least 2030, when he will be 77, making him Russia’s longest-serving leader since Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

“It’s a warning to Putin before he starts the new term,” Hu wrote on Weibo.

“The attack would deteriorate the situation in Russia. It intensifies people’s impression – Moscow is not safe any more. Russian areas, even for those far away from the battlefields in its war with Ukraine, could become attack targets. In many places, defence is weak and even nonexistent,” he wrote.

Additional reporting by Sylvie Zhuang

South China Morning Post