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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Saturday suggested that terrorists who killed at least 133 people in Friday night’s attack at a Moscow concert hall were helped by someone based in Ukraine, without providing evidence.
Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the massacre, for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Russian soil in recent years.
Putin said 11 people have been detained in the killings, including the four gunmen. “They tried to hide and moved toward Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the border,” Putin said in a speech on Russian television Saturday.
“Our military services, our emergency services … our investigators are working on finding out … who gave them transportation, … who gave them weapons,” Putin said, comparing the massacre to Nazi atrocities during the Second World War.
The shooting rampage occurred late Friday at the Crocus City Hall theater on the outskirts of Moscow. In addition to the 133 deaths, more than 100 people were injured, and searches for more victims are continuing, authorities said.
Putin said he expects cooperation against terrorist threats from other countries. “We will stand united against this common enemy international terrorism no matter where it shows its ugly head,” he said.
“All the perpetrators, organizers and those who ordered this crime will be justly and inevitably punished — whoever they are, whoever is guiding them,” Putin said.
Ukraine, which has been defending itself from Russia’s full-scale invasion for two years, has repeatedly denied any links to the attackers, with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry labeling Moscow’s accusations as a Kremlin attempt to mobilize Russian citizens against Ukraine and to try to distance the international community from Kyiv.
In his speech, Putin did not blame any specific terrorist group for the massacre.
Many European leaders expressed solidarity and condolences toward the Russian victims of the massacre, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Interpol offered Russian authorities help to investigate the killings.
