Many of the 92 dead when a Russian military passenger jet crashed into the Black Sea Sunday were members of the famed Red Army Choir, officially known as the Alexandrov Military Ensemble.
The plane was taking 64 members of the Ensemble to perform at a New Year’s concert at Hemeimeem air base in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin went on television to declare Monday a nationwide day of mourning.
Some choir members did not go to Syria for personal reasons. Soloist Vadim Ananyev stayed behind to help his wife with the kids as they just had a new baby.
“I have lost my friends and colleagues, all killed, all five soloists - I feel in complete disarray,” Ananyev told The Associated Press. “It is such a shame. I have known these people for 30 years. I know their wives and children. I feel terrible for the children and for all that I have lost.”
Ananyev said he had received condolences from all over Russia and from abroad.
“We were loved all over the world, never mind the political situation,” he said.
Mourners stopped by the Sochi Adler airport on Monday to light candles at the airport’s chapel and lay flowers at an improvised shrine that featured photos of the plane and of some victims.
The Alexandrov ensemble was founded in 1928 and is the official choir and dance group for the Russian military. It was named after its first director and organizer, Alexander Alexandrov, who is famous for composing the music for Russian national anthem.
His grandson Yevgeny told the New York Times that “the best members of the ensemble died.”
“All the best soloists, the whole choir,” he said. “Everything will collapse now. The best ones are gone.”
USA Today and NBC News contributed to this report