Russia accuses Ukraine of involvement in deadly Moscow concert hall attack
(MENAFN) On Wednesday, Russia alleged that it had uncovered evidence suggesting Ukrainian involvement in orchestrating the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall at the end of last month, resulting in the deaths of 144 individuals and injuring over 550 others.
According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu engaged in a phone conversation with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu, following an urgent request from the French side. During the call, Lecornu extended condolences for the tragic incident at Crocus City Hall on March 22.
The attack, which occurred in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, involved gunmen opening fire on attendees at the Crocus City Hall. Russia has brought charges against four individuals directly implicated in the attack, all of whom have been apprehended, along with an additional seven suspects.
Nevertheless, the French defense minister obstinately “tried to convince that Ukraine and Western countries were not involved in the terrorist attack, shifting the responsibility to the Islamic State (Daesh/ISIS),” the statement mentioned.
The statement indicated that Shoygu emphasized the ongoing investigation into the attack, asserting that all individuals accountable would face consequences. It further stated that "there is information about Ukraine's trail in the organization of the terrorist attack."
“The Kyiv regime does nothing without the approval of Western curators. We trust that in this case, French special services are not involved in it,” the Russian defense minister was cited as saying in the statement.
The statement further highlighted that Shoygu cautioned against the deployment of French soldiers to Ukraine, emphasizing potential complications for Paris. He reiterated Moscow's readiness to engage in peace negotiations with Kyiv, suggesting that “the starting points could be based on the Istanbul peace initiative.”
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