Moscow Terror Attack: Contradictory Details Revealed by Close Allies Defying Putin’s Claims

Russia’s Take on the West’s “Ace in the Hole”

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, stated on March 27th that it is “extremely hard to believe” that the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) was capable of carrying out the attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which claimed the lives of at least 143 people on March 22nd. Zakharova reiterated Russia’s assertion that Ukraine was behind the attack, although the Kremlin did not provide any evidence to support this claim. IS has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus City Hall, and U.S. officials have intelligence suggesting that it was carried out by an IS affiliate in Afghanistan. Ukraine has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Moscow incident.

Zakharova argues that the West hastily blamed IS as a way to divert attention. She stated, “To avoid the suspicion of the masses, they needed to come up with something quickly, so they turned to IS – they used their ace in the hole. And just a few hours after the terrorist attack, Western media began disseminating this information.” Zakharova also suggested that if Kiev is truly innocent, the U.S. would call for a thorough investigation. However, instead of doing so, the White House simply stated, “Ukraine is not involved in this matter.” Zakharova questioned the basis of the U.S.’s affirmation and pointed out their biased support for Kiev, which relies heavily on financial and military assistance from the West.

Dmitry Peskov Analyzes U.S. Actions

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Russian President, highlighted the strangeness of Washington’s emphasis on narratives related to the Crocus City Hall attack, as Russia’s ongoing investigation has not concluded. Shortly after the attack on March 22nd, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) began asserting that Ukraine had no connection to the incident and that IS was the sole perpetrator, as reported by RT (Russia). Peskov told Russia’s Izvestiya news agency on March 27th, “It is at least strange when the Americans confidently announce such a story. This suggests that they are trying to divert attention from something.” Peskov also noted that these statements were made before Moscow officially released any formal information, as Russian law enforcement agencies are still conducting investigations.

What Does Putin Say?

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), on the morning of March 23rd, four men suspected of being responsible for the Moscow attack were arrested while attempting to flee to Ukraine. The perpetrators were identified as Tajik citizens. While admitting that security agencies identified the attackers as “radical Islamic extremists,” Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized on March 25th that several questions remained unanswered. He suggested that such terrorist attacks align with the hostile actions against Russia sponsored by foreign backers of Ukraine.

President Putin stated that the attack was carried out by extremist Islamic forces, but Kiev may have played a role. He claimed that the terrorists had fled to Ukraine, and an “escape route” was prepared for them before the perpetrators were apprehended.

However, on March 26th, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus – a close ally of the Kremlin – revealed that the gunmen initially attempted to flee to Belarus before heading towards Ukraine but gave up when they realized that the Belarusian borders were sealed. This detail contradicts Putin’s previous statement.

This article was written exclusively for Business Today.