After the terrorist attack, Russia continues to investigate whether the West was involved. Britain called Moscow’s claims “nonsense.” Ukraine accuses Moscow of deliberate distraction.
After the attack on the concert hall near Moscow, Russia is continuing to investigate possible involvement of the West. The responsible investigative authority said it was investigating the possible “organization, financing and execution of terrorist attacks” by the USA and other Western countries.
Four men were brought before the Moscow District Court on Sunday. They were charged with committing a terrorist attack resulting in death. An offshoot of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack. Russian politicians also speak of Islamist terrorists. However, they assume that they could have acted on behalf of Ukraine or its Western supporters. They don’t provide any evidence for this.
On Tuesday, the director of the Russian domestic secret service FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, said that secret services from Western countries and Ukraine needed the attack to cause panic in Russia: “The USA, Great Britain and Ukraine are behind the attack on the Moscow concert hall.”
The authorities are investigating terrorism and have so far arrested eleven people, including the four suspected shooters. According to the passports found, they come from the Central Asian Republic of Tajikistan. The unhindered entry of the armed men into the event center, which was occupied by thousands of visitors, is considered a serious failure by the Russian security forces.
Britain calls theory ‘complete nonsense’
Many countries reacted with horror after the attack on Crocus City Hall, with 140 deaths now reported.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia was grateful for the words of support and compassion it had received from around the world. Nevertheless, Zakharova said it was “extremely difficult to believe” that the “Islamic State” had the capacity to carry out the attack on the concert hall.
The governments in Paris and Washington said they had intelligence information that ISIS was actually behind the attack. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron described Russia’s claims about the West and Ukraine in connection with the attack on Crocus City Hall as “complete nonsense” on the short message service X (formerly Twitter).
Ukraine holds Russia accusations for distraction
Kyiv also clearly rejects any connections. “Russia is trying to accuse Ukraine of terrorism (…) to distract the world from its daily terror against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev told the Deutschlandfunk.
According to Russian President Putin, the suspected perpetrators tried to flee to Ukraine. Makeiev described this as “absurd” and hopes that the West will “no longer believe the Russian regime.”
Vatican is concerned
The mutual accusations are made under the impression of the Russian war of aggression, which began more than two years ago. There are fears from the Vatican of a next escalation: “A country that suffers such a trauma can also react very strongly,” said the Vatican’s foreign affairs representative, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, on the Italian news program TG1, drawing a comparison with Israel.
The attack near Moscow is a “terrible thing” that should make you think. From him you can see that there are elements in society that want to destroy and make people suffer. He also emphasized that everything must be done to avoid a defeat for Ukraine.
First country advises citizens against traveling to Russia
Since Friday’s attack, xenophobic sentiment has grown in Russia, particularly against workers from predominantly Muslim countries in Central Asia such as Kyrgyzstan.
Therefore, the country of Kyrgyzstan, which borders Tajikistan, advises its citizens against non-essential travel to Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the former Soviet republic recommended visiting Russia only when necessary and then making sure to have all necessary documents with you at all times.
Hundreds of thousands of people from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are currently working in Russia. Some have already stated that it has become more difficult for them to do their work in Russia. One role is likely to be the arrest of a man born in Kyrgyzstan: He is accused by a Russian court of having provided shelter to the four alleged perpetrators.
Death toll rises to 140
In the attack near Moscow, four gunmen shot around on Friday during a concert in the Crocus City Hall. A major fire then broke out. At least 140 people were killed, a total of 360 were injured and 155 had to be treated in hospitals.
The Moscow region health authority said one injured person died in a hospital. “The doctors did everything possible,” said authority head Mikhail Murashko, according to the Russian news agency Tass. Accordingly, another 80 victims are in clinics, including six children. The condition of four patients is still very critical, said Muraschko.