Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently reelected, has pointed fingers at Ukraine regarding the Moscow terror attack that shook the nation last Friday, claiming the lives of at least 133 individuals and leaving over 100 others injured.
In a televised address spanning five minutes, released on Saturday, Putin addressed the Russian populace, revealing that four suspects directly involved in the shooting at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall had been apprehended near the border with Ukraine. He asserted that they were attempting to flee into Ukraine, alleging that the country had made arrangements to harbor them following the attack.
“All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, those who shot and killed people, have been apprehended. They attempted to evade capture and were headed towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary information, arrangements had been made on the Ukrainian side for their crossing of the state border,” Putin stated, disclosing that a total of eleven individuals had been detained in connection with the incident.
Earlier on Saturday, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, refuted any involvement in the terror attack, dismissing Putin’s accusations as “absolutely baseless.”
“Ukraine has no association whatsoever with this incident,” Podolyak declared. “Ukraine is engaged in a full-scale war with Russia and will address Russia’s aggression on the battlefield.”
Neither Putin nor the Russian Federal Security Service presented any evidence to substantiate the allegations linking Ukraine to the attack.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the shooting on Friday night, reiterating on Saturday that four of its militants had carried out the assault. However, Putin did not directly address the Islamic terror group in his communication to the Russian populace, pledging to bring the perpetrators to justice as further information unfolds.
“The Federal Security Service of Russia and other law enforcement agencies are diligently working to identify and dismantle the entire support network of the terrorists: those who facilitated their transportation, charted escape routes from the crime scene, and prepared caches of weapons and ammunition,” Putin affirmed.
The four suspected gunmen were reportedly armed with machine guns, a pistols, knives, and firebombs, as per ISIS. The explosives they used purportedly caused the collapse of the roof of the Moscow concert hall.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs disclosed that the four gunmen who were apprehended were all foreign nationals, as reported by Reuters on Saturday.
In his address, Putin announced Sunday as a national day of mourning to honor the lives lost. Tributes in the form of flowers and toys have been laid at Crocus City Hall and outside Russian embassies globally in memory of the victims.
Despite escalating tensions amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Western leaders have predominantly condemned the terrorist attack. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk are among those in the international community extending condolences to Russia and denouncing the attack. Notably absent from the list is President Joe Biden.
The attack occurred more than two weeks after the U.S. embassy in Moscow cautioned against attending crowded public events due to the terrorism threat, a notice echoed by embassies of several other nations.
“The Embassy is monitoring reports indicating that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts, and U.S. citizens should refrain from attending such events over the next 48 hours,” the embassy stated in a March 7 release.
