DISINFO: The terrorist attack in Crocus was planned and carried out in the interests of Ukraine
SUMMARY
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has established that this inhuman crime, the terrorist attack in "Crocus" was planned and committed in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine to destabilise the political situation in our country.
Moreover, a number of the accused have planned to blow up an entertainment complex in the city of Kaspiysk in the Republic of Dagestan, but this crime was prevented.
Preparations for the terrorist attack in "Crocus" began several months in advance. Some of the defendants came to the Russian Federation from abroad, where they were trained.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukraine as a terrorist state. This disinformation story is part of a wider campaign by Russian officials and media, including by Vladimir Putin himself, to baselessly blame Ukraine and other actors for the attack.
By trying to link the Crocus terrorist attack to Ukraine, pro-Kremlin media are trying to stoke support and gain legitimacy for their ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine.
There is no reliable evidence linking the Ukrainian leadership to this tragedy. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement in the assault on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, and the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility.
US officials have intelligence that the Islamic State group's Afghan affiliate IS-Khorasan is responsible for the Moscow attack. “ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
The US was legally obliged to warn Moscow of a possible attack in Russia aimed at large gatherings before issuing a public advisory to citizens in the country.
The alert was dismissed as "provocative", "blackmail", and an "attempt to intimidate, destabilise our country" by Putin. He said: “I’ll remind you of recent, let’s say, directly, provocative statements of certain official Western structures about potential terror attacks in Russia. All of this looks like obvious blackmail and an attempt to intimidate, destabilise our country”.
In a recent development, news have appeared that Iran had warned Moscow a few days before of an imminent attack by ISIS based on information obtained from arrested ISIS terrorists in Iran.
Even Putin himself acknowledged late on 25 March that Islamists were committing the attack.
For background, read our analysis: The “Russophobia” Myth: Appealing to the Lowest Feelings.
See other similar cases: The Kyiv regime is a global terrorist threat; Ukrainian attack on the Crimean bridge was a terrorist attack; Kyiv uses the same methods as ISIS to recruit children; Ukraine’s terrorist regime attacked the Crimean Bridge with help from US and British intelligence services; Kyiv's involvement in the Crocus terrorist attack is evident.