Putin's inner circle does not believe Ukraine was behind terrorist attack near Moscow – Bloomberg

Some members of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's inner circle do not agree with his theories about Ukraine's possible involvement in the 22 March terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall.

Source: Bloomberg, citing four sources close to the Kremlin

Details: According to members of Putin's entourage, there is no evidence linking Ukraine to the attack.

Despite this, Russia's leader is determined to use the terrorist attack to rally fellow Russians around the conflict in Ukraine.

Furthermore, Bloomberg reports that Kremlin officials were taken aback by the security services' failure to prevent attacks on civilians.

However, Putin's main allies readily accept his theory. According to Bloomberg, Putin could use this to announce another wave of mobilisation in the Russian Federation.

Background:

• A shooting incident occurred at a concert by the band Piknik at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, on the evening of 22 March. Early reports said at least 137 people had been killed and 180 injured.
• Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) stated that the terrorist attack was a deliberate provocation by Putin’s regime that had been anticipated by the international community. Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, stated that Ukraine had nothing to do with the attack.
• The White House said it saw no evidence of any Ukrainian involvement in the attack, which claimed the lives of dozens of people.
• The United States has no doubt that ISIS was involved in the terrorist attack and had warned Russia in advance of the threat of such an attack.
• ISIS called the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall their "most brutal attack in recent years" and posted photos of the terrorists. Their clothing matches that of the detainees whose photos were posted by the FSB.

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