Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the assault on a concert hall in Moscow, labeling it a “bloody and barbaric terrorist attack” that claimed the lives of at least 150 individuals. In a televised address, Putin announced Sunday, March 24th, as a day of national mourning across Russia.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the tragic incident, Putin expressed his outrage, stating, “I am speaking to you today in connection with the bloody, barbaric terrorist act, the victims of which were dozens of innocent, peaceful people. … I declare 24 March a day of national mourning.”
Putin revealed that the four assailants responsible for the attack had been apprehended, pledging severe punishment for all those involved in orchestrating the assault. He echoed assertions from Russia’s FSB security service that the attackers had communicated with individuals in Ukraine while attempting to flee the country, a narrative dismissed by top Ukrainian officials as “absurd.”
“All four perpetrators of the terrorist act who shot and killed people have been detained. They were traveling towards Ukraine where, according to preliminary information, they had a window to cross the border. We will identify and punish everybody who stood behind the terrorists, who prepared the attack,” declared the Russian President, adding, “Terrorists, murderers, non-humans will face the unenviable fate of retribution and oblivion.”
Putin also expressed gratitude towards the ambulance crews, firefighters, and rescuers who tirelessly worked to save lives in the aftermath of the attack.
Saturday saw Russia announce the arrest of 11 additional individuals, apart from the four gunmen, for their complicity in the shooting at the Moscow concert hall, marking the deadliest attack in the country in two decades.
The assault at Crocus City Hall in Moscow’s northern suburb of Krasnogorsk on Friday was reportedly claimed by the Islamic State affiliate Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). However, Russia’s FSB security service alleged that the attackers had links to Ukraine and were attempting to flee to the neighboring country, with which Russia has been embroiled in conflict for the past two years.
