Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a nightly public address condemned Russia for trying to shift the blame of the Moscow mall attack on Kyiv. Calling Russian president Vladimir Putin a “low-life”, Zelensky said: “What happened yesterday in Moscow is obvious: Putin and the other scum are just trying to blame it on someone else … They always have the same methods.”
The statement came after Putin in a public address claimed that the attackers tried to flee to Ukraine. “They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border,” Putin said. Russia’s security agency FSB also said that the gunmen had ‘contacts in Ukraine’.
The Crocus City Hall attack on Friday (Mar 22) left at least 133 people dead as doctors were struggling to save the lives of more than 100 injured. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Moscow has so far detained four suspects involved in the mass shooting.
IS releases new footage of the attack
Meanwhile, ISIS on Saturday (Mar 23) released footage on its Telegram which it claimed is of the Crocus City Hall attack.
The 1.31-minute video shows a close-up view of the gunmen opening fire on people.
Neither Putin nor any top Russian officials have yet commented on IS’s claims of responsibility for the attack.
US says only IS responsible
US on Saturday backed Ukraine saying only ISIS was responsible for the attack and Kyiv had no role.
The US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement said, “ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever.”
Watch: Terror attack in Moscow: Concert shooting death toll climbs to 133
Later in a social media post, Watson also claimed that the US had shared crucial intelligence with Russia regarding a planned terrorist attack.
“The US Government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow – potentially targeting large gatherings, to include concerts – which prompted the State Department to issue a public advisory to Americans in Russia,” she posted on X.
(With inputs from agencies)
