Shooting in the Moscow Region — a Terrorist Attack Organized by the FSB

Twenty-five years ago, to justify continuing the war in Chechnya, the Kremlin led by Vladimir Putin organized a terrorist attack on Kashirskoye Highway. The goal Moscow is pursuing today with the incident in the Moscow region is the same: to instill fear and radicalize the population in order to carry out mobilization and justify the continuation of the war against Ukraine. Notably, this morning Putin’s press secretary Peskov for the first time stated that Russia is in a state of war, instead of the familiar Russian narrative about the so-called “special military operation”: “Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this group formed and the collective West became a participant on Ukraine’s side, for us it became a war.” The day’s conclusion with a so-called terrorist attack directly reinforces this statement.

It is telling that Russian pro-government media and social media channels are actively spreading a version alleging the involvement of fighters from the Russian Volunteer Corps. At the same time, in contrast to the raid by Russian volunteers in Russia’s border regions—information about which was deliberately blocked and suppressed—videos from Crocus City Hall, where the shooting and arson took place, are being actively disseminated by media controlled by the Russian authorities.

The shooting of people in Krasnogorsk near Moscow is a deliberate provocation by Russian special services. This is yet another compelling argument for the international community to intensify the fight against terrorists and prevent the spread of this virus onto its own territory.