Terrorist attack on Moscow concert hall kills over 100 people

By Stefan J. Bos

Children, teenagers, and women were among the over 133 people who were killed in a terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Many more were injured, Russian officials said.

Hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that war-torn Ukraine was involved in the massacre, charges vehemently denied by Kyiv.

Putin told his nation that on the Ukrainian side they “were preparing to receive” four men who staged the attack, adding that a “total of 11 people were detained.”

The four men he spoke about were reportedly detained in a border area as they headed towards Ukraine.

Kyiv was quick to say that the Russian account of events bore no relation to reality as the men approached “blocked border crossings where there is active fighting and where every meter is saturated with Russian security forces.”

Claimed by so-called Islamic State

Putin’s accusations came despite the Islamic State group, or ISIS, claiming responsibility for Friday’s massacre.

The United States said it had shared intelligence with Russia on an imminent terrorism attack.

However, Russian state-run media reported as recently as March 19 that Putin dismissed these warnings as a Western provocation. The attack happened three days later.

While Putin declared a day of mourning, people gathered in many public places across Russia and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including at the location of the Crocus City Hall attack itself.

Tearful Russians were seen bringing flowers and children’s toys to a makeshift memorial after learning that children were among the many victims.