Vladimir Putin has declared that Sunday March 24, 2024, will be a national day of mourning.
This came as Putin in a video address made his first public comments on the Crocus City Hall attack.
On Friday, March 22, 2024, night, a number of gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, opened fire, and later set the venue ablaze.
The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee the death toll from Friday’s shooting and arson terror attack at the Crocus City Hall has risen to 133.
In the video address, Putin offered condolences, and said that the Russian Federation will identify and punish everyone who “prepared the terrorist attack.”
He stated that investigation by Russian intelligence services will do everything to establish all the details of the terrorist attack.
“Only retribution and oblivion await terrorists; they have no future,” he pronounced.
Putin urged that the common duty of Russians now is to be together as one, “and so it will be.”
“No one can shake the unity of Russian citizens,” he said.
“Russia has always become even stronger during the most difficult trials, and it will be so now,” he asserted, adding that no one will be able to “sow poisonous seeds of discord or panic in Russia.”
Also, the Russian President praised the work of emergency services and the bravery of ordinary people caught up in the attack.
Describing it as a “bloody, barbaric terrorist act,” Putin said that the victims were “dozens of peaceful, innocent people – our compatriots, including children, teenagers, and women.”
“Doctors are now fighting for the lives of the victims, those who are in serious condition,” he noted.
“I am sure they will do everything possible and even impossible to preserve the life and health of all the wounded,” he iterated.
“Special words of gratitude to the ambulance and air ambulance crews, special forces soldiers, firefighters, rescuers who did everything to save people’s lives, bring them out from under the fire, from the epicentre of fire and smoke, and to avoid even greater losses.
“I cannot ignore the help of ordinary citizens who, in the first minutes after the tragedy, did not remain indifferent and, along with doctors and security officers, provided first aid and delivered the victims to hospitals.”
Vladimir Putin
Moreover, Putin confirmed that Russia has apprehended all four men who directly staged the attack at the Crocus City Hall.
He said they were all apprehended heading towards Ukraine.
All reports so far suggested that the arrests happened in Bryansk, a region to the south-west of Moscow heading towards the Russia-Ukraine border.
In his speech, Putin asserted that the Ukrainian side was preparing to receive the men.
“All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, were found and detained. They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border. A total of 11 people were detained.
“The Federal Security Service of Russia and other law enforcement agencies are working to identify and uncover the entire accomplice base of terrorists: those who provided them with transport, outlined escape routes from the crime scene, prepared caches, caches of weapons and ammunition.”
Vladimir Putin
Ukraine Denies Connection To Terrorist Attack
In a long post on social media, Ukrainian presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak denied that Kyiv had anything to do with the terror attack at Crocus City Hall.
“Ukraine has not the slightest connection to this incident,” he stressed.
“Ukraine has a full-scale war with Russia and will solve the problem of Russia’s aggression (aggression, by the way, with a deliberate terrorist component) on the battlefield. The versions of Russian special services regarding Ukraine are absolutely untenable and absurd.”
Mykhailo Podolyak
Andriy Yusov, of the Ukrainian defence ministry’s main directorate of intelligence, also said, “This is of course another lie from the Russian special services, which has nothing in common with reality and does not stand up against any criticism.”
He stated, “Ukraine was of course not involved in this terror attack.”
“Ukraine is defending its sovereignty from Russian invaders, liberating its own territory and is fighting with the occupiers’ army and military targets, not civilians,” he added.
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