“They are directly related”: Bortnikov announced the participation of Ukrainian special services in the preparation of the terrorist attack in Crocus

Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Alexander Bortnikov said that the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall was prepared by radical Islamists with the support of the intelligence services of the West and Ukraine.

“We believe that the action was prepared both by the radical Islamists themselves and, naturally, by Western intelligence agencies. And the Ukrainian special services have a direct connection to this,” Bortnikov said on March 26, answering questions from journalists.

According to him, the interest of the organizers of the terrorist attack was to shake up the situation within the country and create panic. The head of the department again confirmed that the group of terrorists intended to go to Ukraine.

“These are the facts that we received as a result of working with the detainees... The fact that they were going there, they were waiting there is a fact,” the FSB director emphasized. At the same time, he expressed confidence that the Russian side would not allow the group to cross the border with Ukraine.

Bortnikov also noted that there is a lot of information in the public space, from which it follows that the West and Ukraine are seeking to cause the greatest harm to Russia by any means.

“It doesn’t work out on the line of combat contact, so what needs to be done where? On the territory of our country. These are drone strikes, these are attacks by unmanned boats on the Black Sea, these are the entry of sabotage groups and terrorist structures into our territory,” he said.

According to the director of the FSB, the mastermind of the terrorist attack has not yet been identified, but work in this direction is underway. Bortnikov emphasized that the Russian security forces know who organized this process, who recruited and set specific tasks.

The head of the department also said that the Ukrainian side was training militants in the Middle East, and expressed the opinion that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) should be recognized as a terrorist organization.

Commenting on the progress of the investigation into the terrorist attack at Crocus, Bortnikov noted that active work is underway with 11 detainees. “The number of accomplices who took part in the preparation will naturally be greater. We are working on this,” said the FSB director, adding that everyone involved in the preparation and execution of the terrorist attack will sooner or later be punished.

Lavrov on Interpol’s intention to participate in the investigation

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the investigation into the terrorist attack at Crocus is being conducted by competent Russian departments. During a press conference on March 26, the minister noted that the leadership of Interpol unexpectedly announced their readiness to assist in the investigation.

Lavrov stressed that he “does not remember” such an initiative from Interpol in previous cases requiring international attention, in particular in connection with the undermining of the Nord Stream highways.

Speaking about the potential participation of the West in the investigation of the events in Crocus, the minister admitted that such a development of events would most likely be aimed at promoting the theory, convenient for the West, that the terrorist attack was prepared by the Islamic State group*, and Ukraine “had nothing to do with it.” how".

“We can handle it ourselves. We have long been accustomed to the double standards of our Western friends. From now on, we will act based solely on our full understanding of what the West is trying to achieve and by what methods,” the Foreign Minister said.

Completion of debris removal

According to the latest data, at least 139 people were killed as a result of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. This figure was announced by the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, at a meeting on measures taken after the tragedy on March 22. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, 145 people were hospitalized in inpatient medical institutions after the terrorist attack.

On the evening of March 26, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced the completion of rescue work at Crocus. According to the ministry, specialists have completely eliminated the consequences of the fire and finished clearing the rubble. It is noted that further work will be carried out mechanized using engineering equipment.

According to the department, rescuers dismantled and removed more than 900 cubic meters. m of collapsed structures. As the Ministry of Emergency Situations clarified, the examination was carried out using specialized robotic systems, as well as canine crews of the Centrospas detachment and the Leader center.

In addition, before heavy equipment could begin work, rescuers manually cut and dismantled the structures. In total, more than 1 thousand specialists and over 300 pieces of equipment took part in the rescue operations.

* “Islamic State” (IS, ISIS) is an organization recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.