The number of people who lost their lives in the tragic mass shooting in Moscow on Friday, March 22, 2024, is higher than what was initially reported. President Vladimir Putin of Russia debunked the reports in a recent address.
The Russian head of state, Putin, mentioned in a televised address that over a hundred people died in the vicious attack at Crocus City Hall, a concert venue on the western outskirts of Moscow. Here’s what the President said.
ISIS Claimed Responsibility for The Attack
President Putin compared the shooters to Nazis. He mentioned that they killed in a very organized way, targeting Russian citizens and even children.
While ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, Putin is pointing fingers at Ukrainian officials. He says they helped the shooters cross the border into their country. However, an anonymous U.S. official told The Washington Post that there’s no reason to question ISIS’s claim.
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The Ukrainian Government Denies Involvement in the Moscow Mass Shooting
Following Putin’s allegations, the Ukrainian government strongly denied any involvement in the attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk. The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility.
Putin didn’t mention ISIS in his speech, and Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine) accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely connecting Ukraine to the attack. They believe it’s to increase support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Also, U.S. intelligence officials confirmed the claim by the ISIS affiliate. “ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Rejects Putin’s Accusations Leveled Again Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Moscow’s accusations. He said it was an attempt by Putin and his lieutenants to blame Ukraine as they are treating their people as “expendables.” Zelenskyy said in a statement on his messaging app channel, “They are burning our cities, and they are trying to blame Ukraine.”
“They torture and rape our people, and they blame them. They drove hundreds of thousands of their terrorists here to fight us on our Ukrainian soil, and they don’t care what happens inside their own country,” he added.
Officials in Western Countries Warned Their Citizens About Venturing Out to Large Public
The videos from the shooting went viral, showing graphic scenes of death and destruction at the music hall. Scared people huddled behind chairs as gunshots echoed around. The initial estimates put the death count at over 40. The terrorists also used explosives in the attack, causing the entire building to catch fire.
Many died, and others were critically injured in the shooting. Russia’s Investigative Committee expects the death toll to keep rising. After Putin’s recent election victory, officials in Western countries cautioned their citizens about going to big public gatherings. They expressed concern about the possibility of terror attacks.
The U.S. shared information with Russia in March 2024 about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow. They also issued a public warning to Americans in Russia.
Vladimir Putin Said Authorities Managed to Detain Some of the Culprits
Putin said authorities detained a total of 11 people involved in the attack. He described the attack as “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and mentioned the suspects tried to escape to Ukraine. Furthermore, Putin claimed they planned to leave through a prepared “window” on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Russian media aired videos of the suspects detained and questioned. One of them admitted on camera that an assistant to an Islamic preacher approached him through a messaging app and paid to be part of the attack.
Russian news reports identified the gunmen as Tajikistan citizens. Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia that used to be part of the Soviet Union. It’s mostly Muslim and shares a border with Afghanistan. Up to 1.5 million Tajiks work in Russia, and many of them have Russian citizenship.
Many Russian hard-liners called for a crackdown on Tajik migrants. However, Putin rejected the idea, saying, “No force will be able to sow the poisonous seeds of discord, panic or disunity in our multi-ethnic society.”
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A Survivor of the Attacks Narrates How It Happened
A survivor of the attack, Dave Primov, told reporters that the gunmen were “shooting directly into the crowd” in the front rows. He described the chaos in the hall as concertgoers raced to escape. He said, “People began to panic, started to run, and collided with each other. Some fell, and others trampled on them.”
“Had it been just a little longer, we could have gotten stuck in the fire,” Primov added. Messages of outrage, shock, and support for the victims and their families streamed in from around the world.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the U.S. condemned the attack and noted that the Islamic State group is a “common terrorist enemy that must be defeated everywhere.”
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