Russian President Vladimir Putin promised revenge on Saturday after the Islamic terrorist attack that caused the death of hundreds of people in Moscow on Friday night.
Putin Responds To Islamic Terror Attack That Killed 133+ People https://t.co/nMXNt3STn4 pic.twitter.com/svFDGiPV5w
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In a speech to the nation for the first time since the incident rocked Crocus City Hall, Putin suggested Ukraine had a hand in the attack, as he pointed out that information obtained by Russia shows that Ukraine had been preparing a “window” in the border for the terrorists to leave Russia and enter Ukraine after their sinister operation.
“They tried to escape, they were moving towards the border with Ukraine. And we have data that suggests that they were about to be moved towards the territory of Ukraine by those in Ukraine,” he said.
He, however, refrained from blaming Ukraine directly for the attack.
Putin, in his speech, also did not address claims that the U.S. was involved in the attack because of a public warning issued two weeks ago predicting that terrorists were planning an attack on large crowds of people, especially in concerts.
U.S. officials had also reportedly reached out to Russian officials to warn them about the attack plot, a practice that is common with the American government.
Comparing everyone involved in the attack to Nazis who murdered Russians in World War II, Putin promised that responsible parties “will pay” from the terrorists themselves to those who assisted them by providing weapons, transportations, and the likes.
“We will identify everyone who stands behind these terrorists and they will pay. These terrorists … there is only one future for them — retribution and oblivion,” the Russian president vowed.
During the attack on Friday night, at least four gunmen dressed in camouflage began to massacre people outside the event hall with fully automatic weapons. The death toll, which was reported at 40 initially, climbed to 133. 140 people were injured, having been either shot or burned. Some of the injured had inhaled thick black smoke while others were stomped upon during the chaos that ensued from the shooting.
ISIS has already claimed responsibility for the attack long before Putin broke his silence on the incident. After initially claiming responsibility in a post on Friday, it released a photo on Saturday, showing who it claimed were the four gunmen behind Friday’s shooting.
In a statement, the group said that the shooting was a response to the “raging war” between Islamic State and countries fighting Islam. The U.S. reportedly had intelligence confirming Islamic State’s claim to have carried out the attack, according to a source.
