In a note released by official agencies, Russian investigators working on the concert hall attack case reported their “first results”, obtained after interrogating the detainees, including the four attackers, “the analysis of the seized technical devices and the analysis of information about financial transactions”.
From these emerged “evidence of his links with Ukrainian nationalists” and “large amounts of money and cryptocurrencies” that reached the command “from Ukraine”, being “used to plan this crime”.
Finally, they announced the arrest of a new suspect “involved in the financing plan” for the attack on Moscow. Eight people, in addition to the perpetrators of the attack, are currently in prison.
Already in recent days, Russian authorities had pointed the finger, more or less covertly, at Kiev and its allies, including the powerful head of the National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev; the director of the FSB secret service, Nikolai Bortnikov, and mainly President Vladimir Putin, who despite admitting the Islamic nature of the attack, left the question of the masterminds open, stating that the terrorists tried to flee to Ukraine after the attack.
Investigators have now also adopted the Kremlin narrative, but it is important to note that the Ukraine accusations remain generic. In the report, the Kiev government is still not mentioned, nor are specific groups, just unspecified “nationalists”, without clarifying whether it is an organized group.
The line therefore remains ambiguous, likely to maintain pressure on “enemy” Volodymyr Zelensky at a time when the Ukrainian armed forces are struggling in the conflict.
Tags: Russia links theater terrorists Ukrainian nationalists
