UK Warns Putin Not To Use Terror Attack As An Excuse To Intensify Ukraine War

The British government has warned Russia not to use Crocus City terror attack as a pretext to advance the war in Ukraine.

During a speech on Saturday, the president of Russia accused Kyiv of attempting to aid four suspected gunmen in their escape after they opened fire on unknowing victims in a concert venue, killing more than 137 people.

Shortly after, the Islamic State’s Khorasan Pwrovince took credit for the attack while Ukraine denied any connection. The United States, which issued warning many weeks ago about an impending terror strike in Moscow, supported that view. ISKP published a selfie of the perpetrators involved, along with information about their strategy and methods for carrying out the ambush at Crocus City Hall.

“Russian media channels are already circulating deepfake videos of Ukrainian officials in an attempt to blame Ukraine and provide Putin some defence for the war crimes he’s committing in Ukraine or worse, pretext for further atrocities.” – Common Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns stated

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed similar sentiments, voicing his hope that “this terrible tragedy will not become a pretext for anyone to escalate violence and aggression”.

The claims are intended to "whip up anti-Ukrainian hysteria in Russian society, creating conditions for strengthening the mobilization of Russian citizens to participate in criminal aggression against [the] state," according to the foreign ministry of Ukraine.

US officials have privately expressed alarm over unverified reports of Ukrainian involvement, speculating that holding Kyiv accountable for the offensive may allow Moscow to rationalize an increase in force or lure additional Russian soldiers to the front lines.

Source: Telegraph