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Terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall

Crocus City Hall terror attack meant to create chaos in Russia — security service chief

Alexander Bortnikov also noted that Donbass and the Belgorod Region are at the epicenter of Ukraine’s attacks

Russian Federal Security Service Head Alexander Bortnikov Gavriil Grigorov/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

Russian Federal Security Service Head Alexander Bortnikov

© Gavriil Grigorov/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The terror attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall was meant to destabilize the situation in Russia, director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov said.

"To rock the boat, to stir panic in society. You see what is going on along the combat engagement line. Ukraine’s notorious counteroffensive has failed and they need to do something to show their worth," he told journalists.

He also noted that Donbass and the Belgorod Region are at the epicenter of Ukraine’s attacks. "Now, our armed forces are pushing terrorists and militants further away from Donbass. What is happening in the Belgorod Region? That's where they're focusing in order to cause a stir among the people about what is going on at the border and in border regions. So, the only thing they can do to demonstrate their strength is to stage acts of sabotage and terror attacks in the rear," Bortnikov said, adding that this is what Ukraine wants.

"The Americans have spoken about this more than once. A lot of information circulated in the public space indicates that the West and Ukraine are seeking to do as much harm to our country as possible," he stressed.

According to earlier reports, the terrorists who attacked the Crocus City Hall concert venue were expected in Ukraine, where, according to Bortnikov, they were supposed to be met as heroes.

On the evening of March 22, a terrorist attack targeted the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, just over the Moscow city limits. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the current death toll is 139, but may rise. The Moscow Region Health Ministry said that 182 people were injured.

Eleven individuals suspected of being involved in the terrorist attack have been apprehended, including four gunmen who were detained in the Bryansk Region, southwest of Moscow, as they attempted to seek refuge by crossing the nearby Ukrainian border.

President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that, according to preliminary information, the Ukrainian side had prepared "a window" in the border especially for the terrorists to cross undetected. He promised to identify and punish all those who were behind the attack on Crocus City Hall.

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