The director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, has accused Ukraine, along with the US and UK, of involvement in the attack on a concert hall just outside Moscow. The attack resulted in the death of at least 139 people. Ukraine has denied any link to the attack, dismissing the accusations as lies. The Islamic State, a militant group that once sought control over parts of Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the mass shooting. Bortnikov stated that they believe the action was prepared by the Islamist radicals themselves, with facilitation from Western special services. He further claimed that the special services of Ukraine were directly involved and had helped prepare Islamist radicals in an undisclosed location in West Asia.

When asked if Ukraine and its allies, the US and UK, were involved in the attack, Bortnikov responded, “We think that’s the case. In any case, we are now talking about the texture that we have. This is general information.” However, he did not provide any specific evidence to support these claims.

Bortnikov, who has been the head of the FSB since 2008, stated that Russia has yet to identify the individuals who ordered the deadliest attack inside the country in two decades. He also mentioned that retaliatory steps would be taken. These claims, if substantiated, could potentially be used by hardliners in Moscow to escalate the war in Ukraine.

Since the Russian forces entered Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has portrayed the West, particularly the US and UK, as enemies. Russia has repeatedly accused the US and UK of being responsible for blasts on the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea in September 2022. Both Washington and London have denied these allegations.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged, for the first time, that the attack was carried out by radical Islamists. However, he raised doubts about their motives and questioned why the Islamists would want to attack Russia at this particular time without external influence. He stated, “We know that the crime was carried out by the hand of radical Islamists… We want to know who ordered it.”

Analysts have suggested that the Kremlin could be attempting to divert attention from what appears to be significant intelligence failures.