Russian intelligence accuses Ukraine, US and UK of involvement in terrorist attack in Moscow

Aleksandr Bortnikov, director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), named Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom as participants in the attack on the Crocus City Hall theater in Krasnogorsk, on the outskirts of Moscow, which occurred on March 22.

Bortnikov highlighted the contribution of the Ukrainian secret services in planning the attack, which he said was carried out by radical Islamists. He proposed that the Security Service of Ukraine be classified as a terrorist organization.

Although the mastermind of the attack has not yet been identified, 11 suspects are in custody and being questioned.

Bortnikov said investigations point to an increase in the number of accomplices and revealed that Ukraine organized training for terrorists in the Middle East. According to the director of the FSB, the attack aimed to destabilize Russia and instigate panic in society.

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, also expressed conviction in Ukraine’s participation in the incident, when asked about possible authorship of the attack.

The attack on Crocus City Hall, which was about to host a concert by Russian rock band Picnic, was marked by brutal violence, with armed attackers shooting people and using firebombs. The incident resulted in a rapid response from Russian security forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin linked the attack to continued attempts at confrontation against Russia, which began in 2014, and emphasized that the perpetrators were seeking refuge in Ukraine. Putin declared that all those directly responsible for the attack were arrested, trying to flee towards the Ukrainian border, where they supposedly found an escape route.

The episode intensifies geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to involving direct accusations against the United States and the United Kingdom, increasing the complexity of the international security scenario. Russian authorities continue to investigate the attack, seeking to clarify everyone involved and the motivations behind the terrorist attack.

With information from Sputnik