MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. Russia's formal inquiries and information requests addressed to the United States, Germany, France and Cyprus for investigating a series of terrorist attacks on Russian soil imply legal obligations and a mandatory reaction, which is very critical for world public opinion, Andrey Bystritsky, board chairman of the Foundation for the Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, told TASS.

"There is an information request and it must be answered. It is impermissible simply to not respond at all," he pointed out. "We see that world public opinion is sensitive to such issues. Yes, maybe it is not so obvious in the Western countries themselves, but the world is bigger than the Western countries. In most of the world, the elites are watching how and what is going on. They are frightened by the arbitrary actions of many Western politicians."

"This is an understandable move legally and politically. It is important to insist that the rules of the game be observed, and that the law and international legal norms be respected," Bystritsky said. "History is complicated; the current situation in the world is very complex, and so scrupulous adherence to the norms is an important demonstration of the logic and consistency of Russia’s actions."

The expert sees the legal and procedural consequences of such an inquiry to be very likely. According to Bystritsky, "the issue of the reaction to what are quite legitimate legal documents is important for world public opinion."

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has sent formal inquiries and information requests from a group of State Duma lawmakers to the United States, Germany, France and Cyprus concerning the organization of terrorist attacks against Russia by the United States and other Western countries. In taking this step, the PGO considered inquiries and appeals made by Duma members Andrey Krasov, Nikolay Kharitonov and Yana Lantratova, as well as public figures Alexander Dugin and Andrey Derkach for investigating the potential involvement of persons and organizations located abroad in the plotting and financing of a number of terrorist acts committed inside Russia, as well as the underwater explosions that destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in Danish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.