139 dead near Moscow

Russian secret service: West helped IS with terror

Scene of the horror with at least 139 deaths: the Crocus City Hall concert hall outside Moscow(Bild: APA/AFP/OLGA MALTSEVA)

The Russian domestic intelligence service FSB accuses Western intelligence services of having had a hand in the devastating attack near Moscow. "We believe that the operation was prepared both by the Islamists themselves and by Western intelligence services," said FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov.

According to the FSB, the perpetrator of the attack has not yet been identified. However, Russia knows who organized the attacks. The attackers had planned to flee to Ukraine, Bortnikov repeated claims that had already been made several times. There they were to be greeted "as heroes".

FSB: West and Ukraine wanted to cause panic in Russia
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted the head of the secret service on Tuesday as saying that the secret services of Western countries and Ukraine had used the attack, which left almost 140 dead, to trigger panic in Russia. The Ukrainian services were "directly involved".

FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov: "We believe that the action was also prepared by Western intelligence services."(Bild: APA/AFP/SPUTNIK/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV)

"IS or Ukraine?" - "Ukraine, of course"
Despite credible Islamist claims of responsibility, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of Russia's National Security Council, also attributed responsibility to Ukraine. The Russian news portal Shot showed a video in which a reporter asks Patrushev who was responsible: "IS or Ukraine?" Patrushev replies: "Ukraine, of course" (see below). He later rowed back and said that the investigation was still ongoing.

Once again, Ukraine immediately rejected the accusations. These are lies, explained Mychailo Podoljak, advisor to President Volodymyr Selenskyj, on X. "The lies are officially spread by Patrushev and then by FSB chief Bortnikov."

Multiple IS confessions also leave the Kremlin cold
The terrorist militia IS has already claimed responsibility for the attack near Moscow several times. Western security authorities and experts also consider this to be credible and suspect the IS offshoot Islamic State Province of Khorasan (ISPK) to be behind it. Nevertheless, Russian representatives have been claiming for days and without providing any evidence that Ukraine could be involved.

Another suspect in custody
Four days after the attack, an eighth suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday. The Kyrgyz national with Russian citizenship is accused of harboring the four suspected attackers from Tajikistan, as reported by the Tass news agency. However, the 31-year-old denied in court that he had known about the attack plans. He thought the Tajiks were normal tenants.

Alisher Kasimov, one of the terror suspects, in front of a Moscow court(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Comeback for the death penalty in Russia?
Parliamentary leader Vyacheslav Volodin, however, believes that the death penalty could be reintroduced in Russia in the near future. "Nobody has abolished the death penalty in our constitution or in criminal law," said Volodin at a parliamentary session. The Constitutional Court could decide to apply the death penalty, and referendums or other decisions would not be necessary. Until now, there has been a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Russia.