Putin: "Terrorism is the act of radical Islamists... Ukraine is behind it"

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that the Moscow concert hall terror attack was carried out by radical Islamists, but maintained his claim that Ukraine was behind it.

On the 25th (local time), at a counterterrorism meeting regarding the Crocus City Hall concert hall attack, President Putin said, "We know that this crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists," adding, "Now we want to know who ordered it."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "We need to get answers to many questions, such as whether the radical Islamists really intended to attack Russia," and added, "We must find out why the terrorists tried to flee to Ukraine and who was waiting for them there." Earlier, Russian authorities claimed to have arrested terrorists attempting to cross the border into Ukraine and alleged that they had contact with the Ukrainian side.

President Putin described the attack as an "act of intimidation," saying, "Think about who benefits. It could be the work of those who have been waging war against Russia since 2014 under the neo-Nazi Ukrainian regime." He also criticized the United States for trying to convince other countries that the attack was unrelated to Ukraine and was carried out by the Islamic militant group Islamic State (IS).

He also commented on the situation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. President Putin said, "Ukraine has completely failed in its counterattack, and the initiative is with Russia," and criticized Ukraine's attempt to conscript additional young men as being similar to the "Hitler Youth formation."

At the meeting, Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Federal Investigative Committee, reported that the investigation found the attack was meticulously planned and prepared. Bastrykin stated that the death toll from the terror attack had risen from 137 to 139, including 3 children, with 75 victims identified by name. The number of injured was reported as 182.

Meanwhile, immediately after the attack, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a branch of IS, claimed responsibility for the terror. The United States has also consistently stated that IS is responsible for the attack. However, President Putin did not mention IS in his public addresses following the terror attack.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.