MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. Trying to use the Crocus City Hall attack as a pretext to stoke tensions in Russia is unacceptable, President Vladimir Putin said.

"It’s unacceptable to use the recent tragic events [at Crocus City Hall] to provoke ethnic discord, xenophobia, Islamophobia and the like," the president stressed, addressing an Interior Ministry board meeting.

Putin pointed out that he had highlighted the need to effectively combat manifestations of extremism in recent meetings with the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Prosecutor General’s Office. "You know that it is often the case that illegal migration creates a breeding ground for such extremist activities and outright crime, along with ideas spread by various false prophets and websites," the president said.