Ukraine's military intelligence chief has alleged that Russia was aware of a terrorist attack plot as early as February 15th. Last Friday, an attack in Moscow claimed by the Islamic State resulted in 143 deaths. Russia has accepted that "radical Islamists" conducted the attack but claims that Ukraine, the U.S., and U.K. conspired in the attack, a claim all three nations deny. Russia, however, has not provided any evidence to support its claims.
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, stated that Russia had prior knowledge of the plot, with information allegedly passing through their intelligence station in Syria before reaching Moscow. Budanov made these claims at the Kyiv Stratcom Forum.
Despite the Islamic State claiming responsibility for the Moscow attack, leading to arrests in Russia, including four suspected gunmen, Russian officials and pro-Kremlin media have accused Ukraine and its Western allies of involvement.
The accused countries have dismissed these claims as "utter nonsense" and "categorically false."
The White House had previously warned Russia about potential extremist threats, which Russia initially dismissed.
Budanov claimed that Russia knew the origin of the combat groups and the countries the attackers would travel through.
Following the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that radical Islamists were responsible but maintained that Ukraine and its allies were linked to the attack. Russian authorities have not provided any evidence to support these claims.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin is awaiting the results of an investigation before commenting further.
Budanov criticized Russia for changing its narrative about the attack, accusing the Kremlin of attempting to create a "Ukrainian trace" in the attack. He emphasized that while he does not condone terrorist attacks, he believes Russia's actions have only led to chaos.