The shocking background of the attack near Moscow: The Russians received an accurate warning in time, they ignored it

To the bloodiest attack in Russia in the last 20 years, which, according to the authorities, claimed the least 144 dead and 551 injured, the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) repeatedly claimed. However, Moscow continues to seek connections between the attackers and Ukraine, and thus the West. The Russian allegation of a link with the attack, unsupported by any evidence, was rejected by both Kyiv and Washington. The US warned Moscow in advance of the threat of Islamic extremists, but Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly rejected this warning as an alleged attempt to intimidate and blackmail Russian society.

Director of the Russian FSB secret service Alexander Bortnikov a few days ago he admitted that the Russian authorities warned the US about the danger of an attack by extremists, but according to him, it was a general warning. The head of the Russian SVR civilian intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin, made a similar statement on Tuesday, according to him, the Americans passed on the information to the FSB. “The information was too general and did not allow us to fully identify those involved,” Naryshkin told Interfax.

Now, according to The Washington Post, unnamed US officials have said that Washington specifically warned Moscow of a potential attack at Crocus City Hall. In this case, the Americans shared very specific information about terrorist plans with a country with which they do not have friendly relations, which is an unusual step, the newspaper noted.

While Washington routinely shares information about potential terrorist attacks with other countries under a policy known as “duty to warn”, it is unusual to provide information about specific targets to a country that is considered an adversary, the newspaper writes. There is a risk that it could be revealed how the US obtained the information, which could endanger its secret surveillance activities or people.

Information that pointed to an attack on the concert hall, but at the same time represented a potential danger for Americans in Russia, wrote The Washington Post. He recalled that the US Embassy publicly announced on March 7 that “follows reports that extremists have imminent plans to attack large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts”, and advised US citizens to avoid large gatherings for the next 48 hours.

According to people familiar with the matter, the United States shared their information with Russia the day before this public warning. America’s designation of Crocus City Hall as a potential target raises new questions about why Russian authorities have not taken stronger measures to protect the site, noted The Washington Post. Naryshkin said Russian authorities had taken “appropriate measures” to prevent the attack in response to American information. However, video footage from the scene of the massacre shows that the attackers did not face significant resistance, and according to Russian media, special forces arrived more than an hour after the shooting began and then waited over half an hour before entering the building. writes The Washington Post.

The attack, according to the American newspaper, continued undermined the image of strength and security that the Russian leader is trying to create and revealed fundamental weaknesses in the country’s security apparatus, which has been consumed by more than two years of war in Ukraine. Panalysts say Putin’s operatives appear to be more concerned with silencing political dissent and opposition to the president domestically than eliminating terrorist plots.

Despite the lack of security at Crocus City Hall, there are indications that Russian authorities took Washington’s warning seriously, at least initially, writes the daily, adding that according to one American official, the warning also covered plans by the Islamic State to attack the synagogue. A day after Russia received the information, the FSB announced that it had prevented an IS attack on a synagogue in Moscow.