This Saturday, March 23, the day after the attack carried out in a concert hall near Moscow, which left at least 133 dead, Vladimir Putin spoke. The president did not mention the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the massacre. On the other hand, he stressed that the arrested suspects were heading towards Ukraine. kyiv, for its part, claims to have nothing to do with this killing and accuses Russian power of having orchestrated it.
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His speech was expected this Saturday, after the bloody attack that occurred the evening before in the Crocus City Hall concert hall, in the near suburbs of Moscow. He spoke in the afternoon during a televised address. Vladimir Poutine spoke to the Russians after what he described as ” terrorist, bloody and barbaric act “.
“ We will provide the necessary assistance to all families whose lives have suffered a terrible misfortune, as well as to the injured. I express my deep and sincere condolences to all those who have lost loved ones. The entire country, our entire nation, mourns with you. I declare March 24 a day of national mourning “, declared the Russian president, while the latest death toll from the killings showed 133 dead.
Why Russia is pointing at Ukraine
Vladimir Putin promised to “ to punish » the people responsible for this attack. This was claimed by the Islamic State group, but the master of the Kremlin made no mention of it. He claimed that “ the four authors » suspected of the attack had been arrested, among seven other people, while “ they were heading towards Ukraine where, according to preliminary data, a ‘window’ had been prepared for them to cross the border “. If he does not directly accuse the neighboring country that his army invaded a little over two years ago, Vladimir Putin still emphasizes that it is indeed Ukraine that the suspects were heading for.
Ulrich Bounat, associate researcher at Open Diplomacy, contacted by RFI, is not surprised by this declaration in which it only concerns Ukraine and in no way the EI group, which has nevertheless claimed responsibility not once, but twice. bloody act. “ In the general narrative of Russian propaganda, it was likely that this attack would be used in the overall context of the war in Ukraine. In all cases, the Ukrainian state is presented as a terrorist state; connecting the two is tempting for the Kremlin “, he explains.
“ Blaming Ukraine is also a way of exonerating oneself and the Russian security services from the very clear failure symbolized by this attack. », continues Ulrich Bounat. Two weeks ago, the American Embassy in Russia warned its citizens of extremist threats against ” large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts “. Vladimir Putin denounced, on March 19, statements “ provocative ” And ” a desire to intimidate and destabilize our society “.
To rereadAttack in Russia: “For Moscow, Ukraine is an obvious and ideal suspect”
“Putin is trying to shift the blame to someone else,” says Zelensky
As early as Friday evening, Russian officials suggested that Ukraine could be behind this terrorist attack. On Saturday, the Ukrainian president responded in person to these accusations. In his daily message, Volodymyr Zelensky denounces Russia’s desire to seek to divert attention to the detriment of its country: “ What happened yesterday (Friday) in Moscow is obvious: Putin and the other bastards are just trying to shift the blame to someone else. They always use the same methods. »
Earlier, Mykhaïlo Podoliak had already repeatedly denied any role of kyiv in this attack. “ Any attempt to link Ukraine to the terrorist attack in Moscow is completely untenable. Ukraine has no connection whatsoever with this incident », writes President Zelensky’s advisor on X (formerly Twitter).
Ukrainian intelligence even accuses Moscow of being at the origin of a “ planned and deliberate provocation of Russian special services on the orders of Putin ”, which would aim to “ justify even harsher strikes against Ukraine and total mobilization in Russia “. The Ukrainian government has insisted that it will not resort to this type of “ terrorist warfare methods » to defend against Russia.
In their coverage of the attack, the Ukrainian media emphasize the alerts transmitted by Washington to Russia about threats linked to terrorist groups, observes our correspondent in kyiv, Peter Alonso. The tragedy in Moscow is received with relative indifference in Ukraine, where many recall that Russia kills civilians almost every day in its strikes. Last night, the Russian army fired another 34 kamikaze drones into its neighbor’s territory.
“IS is a common terrorist enemy,” recalls Washington
Abroad, the Moscow attack was strongly denounced, including by countries which sanctioned Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine. The reaction of the United States, allies of kyiv, was particularly expected. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, condemned on Saturday an act “ odious ” And ” terrorism in all its forms “. “ We express our solidarity with the Russian people who mourn the human losses after this atrocious event “, he said.
In a press release, the White House also condemns a “ heinous terrorist attack » and recalls the responsibility of the terrorist organization responsible. “ The Islamic State is a common terrorist enemy that must be defeated everywhere “, insists White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, first “ strongly condemned the brutal attack » of March 22. “ We hope that this terrible tragedy will not serve as a pretext for anyone to escalate violence and aggression “, he then added.
Read alsoAttack in Moscow: “Russia has been a target for Islamist networks for a very long time”