Putin admits Islamists carried out terrorist attack in Moscow Oblast but mentions Ukraine

Vladimir Putin, the head of the Russian Federation, admitted that the terrorist attack on 22 March on Crocus City Hall was carried out by "radical Islamists" but blamed the shooting on "those who are fighting Russia at the hands of the Kyiv regime".

Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza with reference to Putin's speech at a meeting with the heads of law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation

Details: Putin called the terrorist attack an "act of intimidation" and again linked the attack to Ukraine. He said that radical Islamists committed the terrorist attack in Crocus, but he is interested to know who commissioned the attack.

Quote: "The question immediately arises: who benefits from this? This can only be a link for those who have been fighting with us at the hands of the Kyiv regime since 2014."

Details: Putin also added that "we need to answer the question" why the attackers allegedly tried to leave for Ukraine after committing a crime in Crocus, "and who was waiting for them there".

Previously:

On 23 March, Putin said that a window had allegedly been "prepared" for the suspects in the attack to cross the border with Ukraine. He did not explain what this statement is based on. Defence Intelligence of Ukraine stated that this version "does not stand up to any criticism".

Background:

• A shooting incident occurred prior to a concert by the band Piknik at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, on the evening of 22 March. Early reports said at least 40 people were killed and 130 injured.
• Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) stated that the terrorist attack was a deliberate provocation by Putin’s regime that had been anticipated by the international community.
• The White House said it saw no evidence of any Ukrainian involvement in the attack, which has claimed the lives of dozens of people.
• Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, stated that Ukraine had nothing to do with the attack.
• The United States does not doubt that ISIS was involved in the terrorist attack on the evening of 22 March and had warned Russia in advance of the threat of it happening.
• ISIS called the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall in Moscow Oblast their "most brutal attack in recent years" and posted photos of the terrorists. Their clothing matches that of the detainees whose photos were posted by the FSB.