Putin blames Ukraine for Moscow concert hall terror

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 25 Mar 2024 by Alex Teddy

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On March 22 Putin said that the attackers tried to flee to Ukraine and that Ukraine was involved. He did not state how Ukraine was involved. 4 suspects were arrested in Bryansk, which is near Ukraine. It is possible that the suspects were headed to Ukraine even if Ukraine was not connected to the attack. On March 23 Zelensky and his staff vehemently and repeatedly denied any Ukrainian connection to the Crocus City Hall attack that killed over 133 people. The Kremlin said that Islamic State perpetrated the attack. Zelensky said that Putin is trying to shift the blame. That such an attack could occur is a damning indictment of Putin who presents himself as someone who is best at keeping Russia safe. In the recent election a major plank of Putin's campaign was that he is good at providing security. Some Ukrainian officials noted that the attack was useful for Putin in that it provided him an excuse to intensify the war and to draft men into the army. Zelensky said that Putin has previously carried out attacks on his own people: implying that Russia may have done this to its own people. Ukraine acknowledges that it carries out attacks on Russian oil facilities and bombards border regions but says it has never committed terrorism. Islamic State (IS) hates Russia because Russia fought against it in Syria and Chechnya. IS said it committed the concert hall attack. On March 7 the US and UK Embassies in Russia warned of an extremist attack in Moscow in the next few days.