The suspected gunmen “tried to hide and moved toward Ukraine,” Russian president says in televised address. Kyiv denies any involvement.

The suspected gunmen “tried to hide and moved toward Ukraine,” Russian president says in televised address. Kyiv denies any involvement.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Saturday suggested that terrorists who killed at least 133 people in Friday night’s attack at a Moscow concert hall were helped by someone based in Ukraine, without providing evidence.

Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the massacre, for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Russian soil in recent years.

Putin said 11 people have been detained in the killings, including the four gunmen. “They tried to hide and moved toward Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the border,” Putin said in a speech on Russian television Saturday.

  • GrymEdm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    92·
    8 months ago

    Putin’s government was warned weeks in advance and dropped the ball badly. Now they need to turn bad press into useful press by placing blame on Ukraine so Russia stays focused on that war. I sincerely doubt they have the military power available to start meaningful reprisals against Islamic State in Afghanistan.

        • Habahnow@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          18·
          8 months ago

          I feel this isn’t a false flag operation because it makes him look bad.

          1. the US warned them about this operation. 2)Putin publicly said that the West was only making up those lies to cause issues within the country.
          2. there did not appear to be clear indication of who committed the attack. A better false flag would have been making it look more like a Ukrainian operation.

          Maybe I’m wrong, but it looks more like Russia got caught with their pants down, with the us pre-emptive rubbing dirt in the wound.

    • no banana@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      8 months ago

      I’m not saying they dropped the ball on purpose but they obviously had some knowledge about it. Though authoritarian regimes don’t tend to be good at security either way. They’re good at oppression, but that’s not the same thing.

    • GBU_28English
      31·
      8 months ago

      Wouldn’t potential reprisals happen in Syria?

      • GrymEdm@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        8 months ago

        I don’t know - it’s possible as I’ve heard of Islamic State being linked to several nations. However, OP’s article mentions Afghanistan specifically:

        “A U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that U.S. intelligence agencies had learned the group’s branch in Afghanistan was planning an attack in Moscow and shared the information with Russian officials.”

      • barsoapEnglish
        2·
        8 months ago

        Syria, or more precisely supporting Assad to ensure they keep their port, is why Russia is in ISIS’ crosshairs. Why wouldn’t ISIS strike in Moscow if they get the chance?