“A very dark story”. A journalist from Moscow describes the Kremlin’s reaction to the attack

Russia is commemorating the memory of at least 137 people who died during Friday’s terrorist attack at a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow. In the 5:59 podcast, we discuss the situation with the Moscow correspondent of the German public television ARD and also the editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

What will you also hear in today’s 5:59 episode?

Two prevailing emotions were recorded by the crew of the German public television ARD in front of the ruins of the Crocus concert hall in the city of Krasnogorsk, where terrorists murdered at least 137 people on Friday. In the mourning queues, people expressed their deep sorrow and belief that Vladimir Putin will protect Russia and its people.

“Moscow is grieving and you can see it at every step. On the huge screens that are all over the city and on which advertisements usually run, there are now animated images of burning candles or birds flying away – in short, symbols of death and memories of the dead,” describes the events on the streets of Russia, the Moscow correspondent of the ARD television Ina Ruck.

But Russia already has at least some of the culprits. Soon after the attack, the police arrested four men who are said to be responsible for the crime. They all come from Tajikistan, a country from which many labor migrants flow to Russia. All of them were brought to court over the weekend and charged, three of them pleaded guilty. On Monday evening, a Russian court remanded three more men in custody.

“We don’t know much about the trials themselves because they are closed to the public. All we saw was the four of them being brought to court and visibly in bad shape,” Ruck describes. All of them will now be in custody for at least two months, and they should face trial in May. “It’s a very dark story and we don’t know much about it yet,” adds the journalist.

However, Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russian authorities see the culprit elsewhere. First, in a speech on Saturday, he said that the men were running towards the Ukrainian border and that the Ukrainians should have helped them. However, according to the journalist, the Kremlin did not provide concrete evidence.

Then on Monday evening, Putin declared that the Tajiks had committed the attack, but the organizers had not yet been found. And he again hinted that Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than two years ago and is waging a war with, could be behind the tragedy. She denies involvement in the terrorist attack.

“All the propaganda media jumped on the alleged Ukrainian trail, that it is clear that Ukraine and the Americans are behind it. But, of course, the Tajik or Central Asian part of the whole story is important for Russia, given the number of labor migrants from Central Asia who live here,” says the Moscow correspondent of ARD television.

However, some media are more skeptical of the Kremlin’s statements. The journalist mentions the Russian newspaper Vedomosti, which printed an article about the regional branch of the Islamic State called IS-Khorasán. It operates mainly in Afghanistan and is made up of residents of the Central Asian republics. Among them are Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz.

According to the journalist, the newspaper article thoroughly introduced the organization and also pointed out the danger that IS-Khorasan represents for Russia: “From this it can be concluded that people are thinking and debating about it and that they naturally associate it with the Islamic State, not with Ukraine.” Everyone except the Russian authorities. Although you probably do too, it’s just that now it’s more convenient for them to point the finger at Ukraine and look for bad guys there.”

For some Russians, pain and mourning may soon replace questions about the competence and readiness of the authorities. “I think everyone was in deep shock and grief, but I would say the questions will come. People will ask: Why didn’t you protect us?” thinks Ruck.

The fact that first the American and then other Western intelligence services warned the Kremlin of a terrorist attack two weeks ago can also contribute to this. Vladimir Putin himself brushed this warning off the table at the beginning of March, saying that it is only Western propaganda with the aim of provoking Russia, intimidating and trying to destabilize the country.

According to the journalist, it can thus be expected that the Kremlin may intensify its strikes in Ukraine in response to the attack on the concert hall. And in Russia itself, the authorities may also tighten up.

“I think it (terrorist attack) will have consequences for Russia itself, for the situation inside the country. For example, in the form of more control, perhaps more repression. But on the other hand, to tighten control and repression, you need additional manpower. And they are also needed at the front. So it will be interesting to see how the Russian state deals with this,” he explains.

In the 5:59 podcast, you will also learn how the second guest of the episode, the editor of the Russian section of Radio Free Europe, Jaroslav Šimov, views the terrorist attack in the suburbs of Moscow and the Kremlin’s reaction.

Podcast 5:59