Moscow Concert Massacre: Vladimir Putin Claims Ukraine Ordered ISIS-K Attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that those responsible for the shooting that resulted in the deaths of 139 people at a music venue in a suburb of Moscow are "radical Islamists." However, Putin reiterated his contention that Ukraine may have been involved in the shooting.

Before a meeting with leaders from the government, Vladimir Putin claimed that the killings were carried out by radicals "whose ideology the Islamic world has been fighting for centuries."

Putin Claims Arrest of Attackers Fleeing to Ukraine

Putin said that four assailants had been apprehended while attempting to flee to Ukraine, adding that the true identity of the attack's leader has not yet been established by authorities.

The occurrence was alleged to have been carried out by the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan, and US intelligence claimed to have material verifying the group's responsibility. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, France's intelligence indicates that "an IS entity" was behind the assault.

Unverified video of the four shooting suspects' interrogations have been making the rounds on social media. The suspects made their court appearance in Moscow on Monday. A portion of one suspect's ear had been severed and placed inside his mouth. When a reporter asked Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, on the inmates' treatment, he remained silent.

Putin took credit for the atrocity that occurred in Kiev on Friday, ignoring the American warning. He said that the strike had the purpose of "sow panic," but it was also possible that it was meant to "show their own population that not all is lost for the Kyiv regime" given that Russian forces were making their way across the Ukrainian conflict zone.

In his weekly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ridiculed the remarks made by Putin, saying that "everyone is a terrorist, except himself, though he has been thriving on terror for two decades," according to USA Today.

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Putin Accused of Shifting Blame

After eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian Ukrainians, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. Putin is allegedly trying to shift the blame, Zelenskyy said, while Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack on Friday.

Washington declared that it accepted the Islamic State's assertion. According to US sources, they had alerted Russia last month to information about a potential assault and that the attacker appears to be Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), an offshoot of Afghanistan.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington that the US had been "very vigilant" in following Islamic State's activities. The aggressive way which the US has been monitoring ISIS allowed the Russians a warning that they were heading for a potential terrorist attack in the very near future.

When questioned by reporters, French President Emmanuel Macron replied that the evidence "indicates indeed that it was an entity of the Islamic State that instigated this attack." It would be cynical and unhelpful for Russia itself and the security of its population to try to use this backdrop to attempt to turn it against Ukraine, he continued, adding that France has volunteered to assist uncover the criminals.

Hundreds of Russians have laid flowers outside the Crocus City Hall to remember the victims. Picnic, the band that had been due to perform on Friday, will stage a memorial concert in St. Petersburg on Wednesday together with a symphony orchestra in aid of the victims.

Two other Tajik nationals, Isroil and Aminchon Islomov, father and son, as well as Dilovar, another son who holds Russian citizenship, have been put under detention by the court. According to the Investigative Committee, Fariduni may have recruited Aminchon and Dilovar. Dilovar was said to have owned the assailants' car by the Russian media, although Aminchon maintained his innocence, Reuters reported.