The Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, claimed that the United States, Britain, and Ukraine were responsible for the deadly terrorist attack in Moscow last Friday that killed at least 143 people, adding that the attacks were “beneficial” to the goal of Western intelligence and Ukraine to destabilize Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently won his fourth reelection after running virtually unopposed, also echoed these claims, as did Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who said it was “extremely hard to believe” ISIS had the capability to orchestrate the attack.
Ukraine has publicly denied involvement in the attack. Meanwhile, the Afghan-based Islamic State militant group known as ISIS-K claimed responsibility in a brief statement published by ISIS-affiliated news outlet Amaq via Telegram.
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As Valuetainment previously reported, four gunmen dressed in combat fatigues carried out a mass shooting at a concert Hall in Moscow, Russia on Friday, injuring dozens. This came just weeks after the Russian government claimed to have stopped a terrorist attack at a synagogue, and the US Embassy warned that an ISIS cell was active in the country. Four men have been arrested for carrying out the attack, all of whom are said to be citizens of Tajikistan, a central Asian country said to be “plagued by poverty and religious strife.”
While Putin finally agreed the attack was carried out by “radical Islamists,” he maintained there is a link to the Ukrainians without citing evidence.
The Biden administration has denounced claims of Ukrainian involvement as “Kremlin propaganda.”
In a video clip released by state news agency Russia Today (RT) on March 28th, President Putin is seen making a multiculturalist overture to the many different central Asian ethnic groups that are part of the Russian Federation. The ISIS-K militants involved in the attack were initially thought to be Russian citizens.
“When I listen to jingoists, including those who say that ‘Russia is only for Russians,’ I begin to worry,” Putin said.
'Russia Is Not Only For Russians' – Vladimir Putin Reminds All
With an outbreak of anti-migrant sentiment online after Friday's terrorist attack in Moscow, the Russian Pres focussed on the the country's strength being in unity.
We have "190 ethnic groups" in "our country" he… pic.twitter.com/J87NUoA8lZ
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) March 28, 2024
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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