"Is the Moscow Terror Attack by IS? ... US Claims Are Suspicious"

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: "US Trapped Us in a Rusty Trap"

Russia questioned the U.S. intelligence assessment that the Moscow concert hall terror attack was carried out by the Islamic extremist armed group Islamic State (IS), asking, "Is this not an attempt to cover up the situation in Ukraine?"

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claimed in an article for the local media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda on the 25th (local time), "The U.S. has trapped itself in a rusty snare by saying that IS is behind this terror attack."

Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Photo by Yonhap News]

She stated, "The U.S. provides massive intelligence and political support to the regime of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, directly and indirectly sponsoring corruption and terrorism," adding, "To conceal these Kyiv prot?g?s, they have set up a scarecrow called IS to intimidate." She further said, "Since the U.S. intervened in Middle Eastern affairs, radical terrorist groups have emerged and become institutionalized," and "The U.S. aims to reorganize the world order by creating chaos controlled by terrorists."

The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a faction of IS, claimed responsibility for the shooting and arson terror attack that occurred on the 22nd at a large concert hall in northwest Moscow. So far, the death toll from the attack is reported to be 137, with 182 injured.

The U.S. viewed the attack as potentially having a negative impact on the Ukraine crisis and immediately disclosed information attributing the attack to IS. Adrian Watson, spokesperson for the U.S. White House National Security Council (NSC), stated, "The responsibility for this attack lies entirely with IS," and "Ukraine was not involved at all."

Despite strong denials from the U.S., Russia appears to believe that Ukraine is connected to the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a national address on the 23rd, "They fled toward Ukraine, and according to initial information, there was a gateway on the Ukrainian side that allowed crossing the border." The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) also claimed that the terrorists had contact with the Ukrainian side.

In response, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy strongly denied Ukraine's involvement in the terror attack. On the same day, he posted on his Telegram, "President Putin kept silent but then came up with a way to shift the blame to Ukraine," criticizing Russia by stating, "Ukraine had no role whatsoever in this attack."