Russia has announced the arrest of eleven individuals, including four who are suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, marking the most lethal incident of its kind in the country in two decades. The attack, which resulted in the death of 143 people and counting, according to state TV, was claimed by the Islamic State militant group. However, Russian authorities are trying to forge a potential connection to Ukraine, despite strong denials from Ukrainian officials regarding any involvement. The death toll was later revised to 133.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia has reported the apprehension of the “four terrorists” as they were allegedly attempting to cross into Ukraine, repeatedly mentioning that the suspects had connections within Ukraine. They are currently being transported to Moscow for further investigation. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressed on Telegram that the suspects had intended to flee to Ukraine to evade capture, stating, “Now we know in which country these bloody bastards planned to hide from pursuit.”
In response to Moscow’s attempts to pin the atrocity on Ukraine and bolster waning support for Putin’s war, Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, refuted the claims of Ukraine’s involvement, emphasizing his nation’s focus on defending its sovereignty and targeting military objectives, not civilians. He dismissed the FSB’s assertion regarding the suspects’ intended escape to Ukraine as another fabrication by Russian intelligence services. No evidence has been presented to support the theory of a Ukrainian link.
Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein revealed that the assailants had escaped in a Renault vehicle, which was later identified by police in the Bryansk region, approximately 210 miles southwest of Moscow. Upon refusal to comply with police instructions to stop, the vehicle was searched, uncovering a pistol, an assault rifle magazine, and passports from Tajikistan. In a video shown on state TV, a suspect stated that he had been paid 500,000 roubles ($5,425) by unknown people via Telegram to carry out the atrocity.
