Russian leader Putin made an official appeal to Russians in connection with the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall shopping center near Moscow, which took place on the evening of March 22.
He emphasized that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack allegedly planned to flee to Ukraine, where they "created a window for them to cross the border." The leader of the Russian Federation says that all four performers have been detained. A total of 11 people were detained.
"We faced a planned mass murder of civilians. This is a show execution. All performers, organizers and customers will be punished. We will identify and punish everyone," Putin said.
According to Putin, in connection with the terrorist attack in Moscow, they count on cooperation with all states "that really share our pain."
As Meduza writes, the Kremlin instructed state and loyal mass media to focus on the "Ukrainian footprint" in reports about the terrorist attack. An employee of the publication, loyal to the Kremlin, confirmed this information to Meduza.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated for the second time that the Ukrainian side was not involved in this, "Hromadske" reports.
According to Andriy Yusov, a representative of the State Security Service, it is difficult to imagine that the alleged terrorists were trying to flee to Ukraine, because the border regions of the Russian Federation are "extremely saturated with security forces, special services, and the military." The border itself is mined and in some places there are battles.
"These statements of the FSB are primitive lies designed for idiots and the zombified Russian population," Yusov added.
- On the evening of March 22, 2024 , a shooting occurred in the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow before the start of the performance of the band "Piknik". Four men entered the mall and started shooting everyone in their path. Terrorists started a fire in the concert hall, setting fire to the seats. After that, they fled in a car.
- Russian propagandists almost immediately began to write about the Ukrainian trail.
- On March 23, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported that 115 people died in Crocus City Hall. At least 121 were injured.
- The FSB claims that the terrorists from Crocus City Hall planned to cross the Ukrainian-Russian border and had contacts on the Ukrainian side.
- Even on the day of the terrorist attack, the GUR declared that the attack near Moscow was a planned and deliberate provocation by the Russian special services, which would eventually end with accusations against Ukraine. Intelligence claimed that in this way Putin wants to justify even tougher strikes on Ukraine and total mobilization in the Russian Federation.
- The Center for Combating Disinformation says that the terrorist attack may be an operation by the Russian special services to get a reason for a new wave of mobilization in the Russian Federation. The CPD mentions the terrorist attacks on the Kashirskyi highway in Moscow in 1999 and the hostage-taking at the musical "Nord-Ost" in 2002, which the Kremlin used to justify the Second Chechen War.
- The New York Times, with reference to unnamed American officials, writes that the terrorist attack was organized by the Islamic State. US special services have gathered intelligence that "Vilayat Khorasan", an Afghan cell of IS, is planning a terrorist attack in Moscow. Washington passed this information on to Moscow. A source from the Russian state news agency TASS confirmed that the US shared data on the preparation of a terrorist attack, but allegedly "without specifics."
- CBS News writes that the United States warned Russia about a terrorist attack and provided intelligence about a potential attack. A few days before the terrorist attack, Putin called these warnings "blackmail".