What is known about the attack?
On Friday evening, March 22, in the city of Krasnogorsk in the Moscow region, several armed men in camouflage carried out a shooting at the Crocus City Mall shopping center.
Video footage from the Crocus City Hall shows armed individuals entering the concert hall and beginning to shoot with automatic weapons. They also threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which started a fire. The fire engulfed a large area, causing the roof of the building to collapse. The fire had been brought largely under control more than six hours later.
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Video footage showed the panic of people as the attack unfolded. It was reported that there were 40 fatalities and 150 injured. Local media report over 180 casualties, but these figures are not officially confirmed at the moment.
Who is behind the attack?
Earlier, several media outlets claimed that the attack was organized by the terror group ISIS. Other sources dispute this information.
Representatives of the russian federal Security Service accused citizens of Tajikistan of committing the terrorist attack at Crocus City Mall.
In addition, literally in the first hours after the attack, some russian politicians began making statements that the attack on Crocus City Hall may have a Ukrainian trace. The Investigative Committee of the russian federation alleges that the perpetrators had contacts in Ukraine and were planning to cross the border.
According to the representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, this statement and this information are nonsense.
The Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine called the attack a planned and deliberate provocation by russian intelligence services at the direction of dictator vladimir putin.
"These FSB statements are aimed either at blatantly ignorant individuals or at the indoctrinated russian population. To imagine that after more than two years of full-scale invasion, terrorists would head for border regions that are currently heavily saturated with law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and military personnel, I think comments here are unnecessary," Yusov said.
The representative of the GUR emphasized that the accusations by the FSB are "lies and an attempt to pin the Ukrainian trace on the part of the russian regime, which they have been engaged in from the very first minutes as this terrorist attack unfolded."
The United States has also stated that there are no signs that Ukraine is involved in the attack. Two weeks ago, on the eve of the presidential elections in russia, the US Embassy warned of the threat of terrorist attacks in Moscow. At that time, American citizens were advised to avoid crowded places.
From the side of Defense Express, it should be noted that the incident occurred in full inaction of the russian special services and law enforcement agencies, which is uncharacteristic for the current state of counterintelligence and counterterrorism regime in the russian federation:
- Unimpeded entry of a group of 4 individuals onto the Crocus City Mall shopping center. (At the same time, in the first hours of the incident, russian media (including references to eyewitnesses) indicated that the number of "militants" was greater (from 10 to 20));
- Unimpeded departure of the group in full (if we assume that there were indeed four of them) from the scene of the crime.
- Based on the official statements of russian law enforcement agencies, it can be concluded that the mentioned group traveled unimpeded for more than 350 km towards the Ukrainian-russian border, doing so in a vehicle that was declared wanted almost immediately after leaving the scene of the crime (including widely circulated in the media).
What will be the consequences?
The terrorist attack will fit into the overall picture of what is happening in russia and ultimately will only serve as a catalyst for long-running processes that are already underway. The country will further slide towards terror and civil war, and this will happen rapidly.
As noted by the Coordinator of the Information Resistance group, Aleksey Kopytko, for russians, this means:
Reinstating the death penalty "at the request of the workers" (this is already being openly discussed);
- A new wave of mass mobilization;
- Hunting for "potential terrorists" among migrants and all dissenters;
- Purges of law enforcement officers and officials who "fail to cope."
The practical purpose of Ukraine's accusations is to block foreign aid, including European aid, until russia accumulates strength. So that in a few months, Ukrainian resources are exhausted, while russians are prepared. Plus, to justify the cruelty and killings of peaceful Ukrainians.
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