Despite the credible claims by Islamist terrorists, the Secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, has accused Ukraine of the attack near Moscow last Friday.

Journalists asked him on Tuesday whether the Islamic State terrorist militia or Ukraine was behind the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert hall, which left at least 139 dead.

According to TASS, Mr Patrushev replied that Ukraine was responsible for the attack.

The 72-year-old, who repeatedly appeared as an ardent supporter of the Russian war against Ukraine, did not explain how he arrived at this assessment.

Islamic State had already claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow on several occasions.

Western security authorities and experts also considered this to be credible and suspected the offshoot Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) to be behind it.

Despite this, Russian representatives have been claiming for days and without providing any evidence that Ukraine could be involved.

Kyiv strictly rejected this.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been somewhat more restrained.

He said he was counting on the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office to do everything possible to ensure that the criminals received a just punishment, as prescribed by Russian law.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Putin confirmed that Islamist terrorists attacked Crocus City Hall.

At the same time, he made it clear, as he had done at the weekend, that he saw a Ukrainian link.

Russia wants to know “who ordered the attack,” he said.

Mr Putin, therefore, assumed that Islamists carried out the order for the mass murder but that the masterminds were located elsewhere.

(dpa/NAN)