Vladimir Putin said that the organizers of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall hoped to sow panic among Russians, but it didn’t work out. The President spoke about this during a meeting on measures taken after the events of March 22.
“Those who planned this terrorist attack hoped to sow panic and discord in our society, but they were met with unity and determination to resist this evil,” the head of state said at the beginning of the meeting.
The President called for an investigation into the terrorist attack to be carried out professionally, objectively and without political bias, despite the general grief and desire to punish all the perpetrators.
He noted that Russia is aware of the terrorist attack being carried out by radical Islamists. Putin also mentioned that the United States, through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that there is no trace of Ukraine’s participation in the events at Crocus.
“We know by whose hands this atrocity was committed against Russia and its people. We are interested in who the customer is. In the course of joint work between our intelligence services and law enforcement agencies, it is necessary to obtain answers to a number of questions,” the president said.
The head of state continued, noting that the terrorist attack in Moscow could be “only a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been fighting our country since 2014 with the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime.”
“The Nazis, as is well known, never hesitated to use the most dirty and inhumane means to achieve their goals,” the president said.
In this regard, he recalled the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, as well as subsequent attempts by the Kyiv regime to gain a foothold in the Russian border territories and numerous attacks on civilian objects, including energy infrastructure, as well as attempts to strike Crimea.
“Bloody acts of intimidation, such as the terrorist attack committed in Moscow, quite logically fit into this series. The goal, as I already said, is to sow panic in our society and at the same time show our own population that all is not lost for the Kyiv regime,” Putin said.
Progress of the investigation and assistance to victims
During the meeting, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, made a report. He gave a complete chronology of events at Crocus and said that during an inspection at the scene, two AK-74 assault rifles, more than 500 rounds of ammunition, 28 magazines with cartridges, and bottles with gasoline residues were found and seized.
In addition, a Makarov pistol without cartridges and a Kalashnikov assault rifle magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition were found in the criminals’ car.
He also noted that four perpetrators of the terrorist attack have been charged and taken into custody. According to Bastrykin, all of them admitted their guilt during interrogation and in court and gave detailed testimony about the circumstances of the terrorist attack, those who ordered it and those who assisted in the preparation of the crime.
In addition, the investigation detained three more persons who provided assistance in preparing the terrorist attack, in particular, provided an apartment for living, a car for transportation and transported funds.
Bastrykin also said that of the 139 people killed during the terrorist attack, 137 people died directly at the scene of the events, two more in hospitals. The head of the Investigative Committee clarified that 40 people died from gunshot wounds, two people died from a combination of gunshot and stab wounds, and 45 people died as a result of the fire from exposure to high temperature and combustion products.
According to him, the investigation is also checking the likelihood of violations of security requirements and the fire extinguishing system at the Crocus City Hall concert hall.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova provided data on the number of people who sought medical help. According to her, during the period since the terrorist attack, 145 people were taken to inpatient medical institutions.
To date, 52 of them have been discharged, another 93, including five children, remain in hospital treatment.
“Doctors continue to fight for the lives of nine victims, including one child. Their condition is assessed as extremely serious. 29 patients are in serious condition, 30 patients are in moderate condition, and 25 patients are in a condition that has improved and are being prepared for discharge,” Golikova said.
In addition, outpatient care was provided to 150 patients. As the Deputy Prime Minister noted, this figure may change, as people who were able to go home after the events of March 22 later go to medical institutions.
Among other things, Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov said at the meeting that it was necessary to assess the work of the control bodies that inspected the activities of the entire concert complex, including fire and anti-terrorism security measures.
It will also be necessary to assess compliance with the requirements for equipping event security guards in accordance with the number of visitors, evacuation measures, and the speed of response to a call from a private security company.
As Krasnov emphasized, it can already be said that the scale of the terrorist attack turned out to be many times larger and incomparable with the provisions of the legislation on security at such facilities.