According to Professor Kari Liuhto, Russia wants to direct citizens’ anger at Ukraine.
Russia is trying to blame Ukraine and the United States for Friday night’s terrorist attack in Moscow. This is despite the fact that the extremist Islamic group Isis-K has claimed responsibility for the attack.
For example, the state news agency RIA-Novosti writing on Monday blames the attack on the “Kiev caliphate”.
Nearly 140 people were killed when four gunmen attacked a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, northwest of Moscow, on Friday night. If you are not familiar with the case, you can see the basic information below the editor Aliisa Ristmeren from the video.
Spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova believes that many factors suggest that the United States would support Ukrainian terrorism, such as Russian state terrorism Tass news agency formulated the matter late on Sunday.
Zaharova claims in the story that the US’s armed support to Ukraine makes the US a supporter of terrorism. He does not present evidence that Ukraine is behind the terrorist attack.
In his writing In the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper on Sunday evening, Zaharova wants to draw the Russians’ attention to the US military actions in the Middle East in recent years. He reminds his readers that the United States supported the Islamists when the Soviet Union sent its troops to Afghanistan.
Nor the president of Russia Vladimir Putin has not blamed ISIS for the attacks. In his opinion, the attackers were trying to escape to Ukraine.
Why does Russia want to cast suspicion on Ukraine and the West?
– Russia is looking for people to get angry and rage. Putin is now trying to aim it at Ukraine, says Turku University of Economics professor, Russia researcher Kari Liuhto.
Russia is looking for an incentive to launch a business
According to Professor Kari Liuhto, Russia’s motive for blaming Ukraine is clear.
– Russia needs a new business proposal and this makes it easier, says Liuhto.
In Liuhto’s opinion, blaming Ukraine for the attack is an artificial explanation. Ukraine would have no reason to commit terrorist attacks.
– Ukraine doesn’t act like this, because it would be against their interests to attack civilians. It can be said that Ukraine does not do this, says Liuhto.
According to Liuhto, the Russian leadership can very well make the Russians believe the propaganda claim about Ukraine’s guilt.
– I’m a little scared. After all, the Russian media has been a propaganda horn for a very long time. About Stalin it was said that if you repeat a lie a hundred times, it becomes the truth, says Liuhto.
In Liuhto’s opinion, lying about the terrorist attack is a logical continuation of the fact that war has started to be called war, and this is how Russia’s new major attack is being prepared.
– Putin does not know how to give up. It doesn’t matter what price is paid for it as a soldier, says Liuhto.
He estimates that Russia will try to launch a major offensive before the end of the summer, and it must be primed by changing public opinion.