Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev was quick to point a finger at Ukraine in the hours after the deadly shooting on a concert hall in Moscow Friday left.
“If they establish that these are terrorists of the Kyiv regime, they must all be found and mercilessly destroyed. Including officials of the state that committed such atrocity,” the former Russian president said of the attack, which left at least 60 people dead, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, although it hasn’t provided evidence. Ukraine has denied any involvement, with Mykhailo Podolyak—an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—stating in an X post that “Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods.”
Medvedev was not the only Russian official to blame the mass shooting on Kyiv. Russian Parliamentary Leader Sergey Mironov also alleged that Ukraine was responsible, and accused the United States and the U.K. of covering up its knowledge of the attacks.
American and British intelligence agencies had issued warnings of possible extremists attacks on crowds in Russia earlier this month—and both countries did so publicly.
“All those responsible will be severely punished. I am sure that terrorists deserve the death penalty!” He said. Who are they? I have no doubt about it. Just the other day, Kiev regime leaders declared their readiness to carry out attacks on our country,” Mironov said in a statement.
Authorities are still searching for suspects and are investigating the attack, which wounded at least 100 people, according to Russian authorities. But the initial responses have already raised questions about how Russia might seek to blame or respond to the deadliest attack in the region for years—and whether it could be used for justification for retaliation against the west or other adversaries.
Medvedev has previously suggested Ukraine should not exist and that Ukraine is undoubtedly a part of Russia.
U.S. officials have said that the State Department alert on crowds in Moscow was not intended to warn of possible threats from Ukraine, and that U.S. officials would not have referred to Ukrainians as extremists, according to The New York Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, brushed off the alert, accusing the west of seeking to stoke tensions inside Russia.
In any case, the fall-out from the massacre could be dire. In the wake of the 1999 apartment bombings, which left hundreds dead, Putin blamed Chechen insurgents and launched a second Chechen war.
Kremlin Propagandist Vladimir Solovyov called for the death of the attackers, without pointing fingers at anyone in particular.
“The bastards who organized this do not understand the main thing—they cannot intimidate us. Death awaits terrorists—both organizers and perpetrators, no matter where they are,” Solovyov said. “Every one of them.”
The White House told reporters Friday that it was looking to obtain more information about the attack, with White House National Security Council John Kirby calling footage from the shooting “just horrible, and just hard to watch.”
Kirby added that there is “no indication at this time that Ukraine, or Ukrainians, were involved in the shooting.”
This post was originally published on Daily Beast
