Russia mourns the deaths of a murderous attack. But interpretations of what happened differ widely between Moscow and the West. The press review.
After one of the worst terrorist attacks in Russian history, the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the crime that left almost 140 dead and 150 injured and published several letters of responsibility. Nevertheless, Russia wants to see Ukraine involved, against which Russia has been waging a war of aggression for more than two years.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the perpetrators wanted to flee to Ukraine, but he did not provide any evidence of this. Kiev denied any involvement in Friday evening’s crime. US Vice President Kamala Harris also sees “no evidence whatsoever” of Ukrainian involvement. Meanwhile, Russia marked a national day of mourning on Sunday.
Putin needs a scapegoat for the many deaths near Moscow
“Weser-Kurier” (Bremen): “Where unsuspecting people are killed, they and their survivors deserve nothing but pity and sympathy. Regardless of the political circumstances in which they live or how the crime was motivated. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military apparatus may have been guilty of grave crimes . But Putin is not Russia, and among the more than 130 women, men and children killed there will not have been anyone who would not prefer freedom and peace to their government’s policies. If he had any influence on it.”
“Lausitzer Rundschau” (Cottbus): “Russia has been terrorizing its neighbor Ukraine for two years. […] Can one then have compassion when people are massacred by extremists in the middle of Russia, especially near the power center of Moscow? So what if the aggressor himself has to watch helplessly as defenseless, innocent people are killed? Yes, you can. You even have to. The bestial acts in Bucha and Krasnogorsk had one thing in common: they targeted innocent civilians. They were ordered by unscrupulous criminals with one goal: to spread terror. And a human rights crime like terrorism must never be recognized as legitimate anywhere.”
“Leipziger Volkszeitung”: “It took the officers a solid hour to find the crime scene and get an idea of the situation. Meanwhile, more than 130 people died in the concert hall. If there were free media in Russia, we would be talking about Vladimir Putin’s Crocus City scandal. On March 19, the head of state personally brushed aside warnings from Western secret services about extremist attacks. Putin urgently needs a scapegoat. What could be more obvious than pointing to Kiev? Ukraine must prepare for new, terrible attacks. Who the terrorists actually were is unimportant to Putin. He can portray anything however he wants in his state media.”
“Frankfurter Rundschau”: “The autocrat Vladimir Putin will continue to do everything he can to direct the grief and anger of his compatriots towards the neighboring country that has been attacked. He is obviously of little interest in the fact that Kiev has no interest in such an attack because the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyj is doing so “Western aid would endanger Western aid. But such considerations will not prevent the Kremlin from continuing to pursue its chosen line. Then it should be easier to implement renewed mobilization. In addition, Putin will justify further attacks on Ukrainian cities with the massacre in the concert hall.”
“Stuttgarter Zeitung”: “While the Russian authorities have hunted down dissidents almost every day for ‘justification of terrorism’ over the past two years, they have neglected to look at the real dangers from Islamist circles. In order not to have to answer too many questions about this, the Kremlin is ratcheting up the propaganda noise a ‘Ukrainian trace’ in the latest terrorist attack – even if the government in Kiev vehemently rejects this and the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claims responsibility for the attack. So Putin is leaving people completely in the dark about what awaits them in the coming days becomes.”
“Reutlinger General-Anzeiger”: “Putin himself is partly responsible for such reactions with his cruel warfare in Chechnya and the oppression of the Islamic provinces in the south of Russia. But he is currently waging a war of conquest against Ukraine – and everything must be subordinated to that. That’s why he gave Ukraine a short break “The attack will be carried out particularly intensively with rockets and drones. The anger of Russian citizens over this attack should be redirected towards Ukraine as the perpetrator. In fact, Tajiks are probably behind the attack, probably operating from Afghanistan.”
“Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” (Halle): “Putin works like the Chekists, Lenin’s secret special troops for eliminating opposition figures who were wreaking havoc in Russia from 1917 onwards. Chekists generally deny the good in people; they only see enemies everywhere who can lie, cheat and murder without scruples. The Russian victims in Crocus City Hall paid a high price for this more than gloomy worldview of their head of state. But that’s not enough. Because what shouldn’t be can’t happen in Moscow, evil continues to reign: Putin urgently needs a scapegoat. What could be more obvious than pointing to Kiev? This doesn’t bode well for Ukraine.”
“People’s Voice” (Magdeburg): “The Kremlin can wage a war in Ukraine, trigger Western sanctions and isolate Russia internationally – the people somehow support everything. They even re-elect the warlord as president. But to simply be shot down at the rock concert on Friday evening during the longed-for distraction – that’s it A border has been crossed for the Russians. It hits right in the heart.”
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “The attack on a concert hall near Moscow is a heinous crime, the high number of victims is shocking. It was right and appropriate that the federal government and other Western leaders condemned the act. Despite all the deep differences […] The impression of gloating should not arise. […] Terrorist attacks are not easy to prevent. In this case, however, there is reason to suspect that the Russian security apparatus was stressed, if not distracted, by the war and political repression. Putin has not made Russia stronger, as he constantly claims, but more vulnerable.”
Islamist terror is back in Europe
“Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” (Heidelberg): “A ghost is returning to Europe. And that is the specter of Islamist terror. Russian President Putin may claim a ‘trail to Ukraine’ after the bloodbath in the Moscow concert hall: experts […] consider the authorship of the Islamic State to be more credible. And it wouldn’t be the first attack by Islamists in Russia.”
Beslan, Moscow, Volgograd
Bombs and hostage-taking: Terror in Russia and how it changed the country
“Rhine Palatinate”: “What happened in the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow is like a nightmare that we Europeans had suppressed. The coronavirus, the Ukraine war, the Middle East conflict, Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House, China’s threatening gestures against Taiwan, all of this has recently affected us politically busy – the terror of jihadist groups less so. It had not disappeared; IS only caused a bloodbath in Kerman, Iran, in January. But from a European perspective, that is a long way away. […] Germany also remains in IS’s crosshairs.”
“Rhein-Zeitung” (Koblenz): “Recently, attacks in Germany have often only been prevented through tips from foreign secret services – which gives many citizens the uneasy feeling that the German security services are not well positioned on this issue. So Nancy Faeser must quickly show that the authorities are dealing with these Be able to avoid dangers and take information seriously.”