On video: shooting attack in a concert hall near Moscow/use according to Article 27 A of the Copyright Law
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, today (Monday) referred to the massacre at a concert hall in the capital Moscow, in which 139 people were killed - and said for the first time that "the deadly attack was carried out by Islamist militants".
However, he emphasized that the attack "is part of a wider campaign of intimidation conducted by Ukraine".
Putin clarified at the meeting that in order to determine who is behind the attack, "the investigation into the mass attack must be professional, objective and without political bias."
The terrorist organization "Islamic State" (ISIS) has accepted responsibility for the deadliest attack it has carried out in Europe - but Putin insists: "We do know in whose hands the crime against Russia and its citizens was committed, but what interests us is who ordered it."
"The question that arises is who benefits from this?", Putin said and again connected the attack with Ukraine: "This atrocity may be just part of a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 - at the hands of the neo-Nazi regime of Kyiv."
"The question that arises is who benefits from this?", Russian President Vladimir Putin/Reuters
Putin: "The attack is part of a wider campaign of intimidation conducted by Ukraine"/Reuters
Despite accepting ISIS's responsibility - after the attack, Russia hastened to link the terrorists with Ukraine and claimed that they tried to escape to its territory because they had contacts there.
Kyiv, for its part, immediately renounced the attack.
This is not the first time that the Kremlin has tried to cover up security failures by painting them in the colors of conspiracies.
The omission, according to American sources, was particularly large.
According to them, this month Washington issued a warm warning about an attack planned by the ISIS branch in Afghanistan in Russia.
Moscow did announce about two weeks ago that it had uncovered an ISIS cell that planned an attack on a synagogue in Moscow, but it seems that it did not take seriously the information it received from the United States despite the rift in relations between them.
"Our special services worked tirelessly to protect Russia"/Reuters
Paskov on the reports about abuse of suspects: "I will leave this question unanswered"/Reuters
The Kremlin addressed earlier today the allegations of the serious failure that allowed the unusual attack.
"The investigation is underway," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the omission, adding: "Unfortunately, our world proves that no city or country can be immune to terrorism."
According to him, "Our special services worked tirelessly to protect Russia. The fight against terrorism is an ongoing process that requires international cooperation on a full scale", stated Peskov and accused: "But you can see that now such cooperation is not carried out fully in any way".
When Peskov was asked whether the Russian security services needed assistance from the West, he replied: "Our special services operate independently, now that is not on the agenda."
However, he said that in conversations he has had with other leaders since the attack - heads of state have suggested improving international efforts to fight terrorism.
When asked if the suspects were being abused, he replied: "I will leave that question unanswered."
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