Despite ISIS claiming responsibility outright, Putin would only describe the killers as “radical Islamists” ordered by Kyiv to carry out the attack as an “act of intimidation”.
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Putin first accused Ukraine of involvement in the attack just hours later, claiming the gunmen tried to flee there for refuge.
Today during a meeting with government officials, Mad Vlad said the massacre was an “act of intimidation” committed by those who would “benefit” from destabilising Russia.
He pointed the finger at Ukraine, calling it “part of Kyiv regime’s attacks on Russia”, and suggested Zelensky’s government ordered it themselves.
“We know by whose hand the crime against Russia and its people was committed. But what is of interest to us is who ordered it.”
READ MORE ON MOSCOW MASSACRE
Less than 24 hours after Friday’s attack, a snarling Putin addressed Russia in a speech were he immediately jumped on the opportunity to point fingers at Kyiv.
In a televised address he claimed the gunmen tried to escape to Ukraine after the “barbaric terrorist attack”.
Today the ageing dictator doubled down, raging that the concert hall shooting is linked to “a whole series of events by those that have been at war with our country since 2014 by the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime.”
The Russian tyrant said those behind it “hoped to sow panic and discord” in Russia.
He brazenly claimed that the US is “trying to convince other countries that according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terror attack”.
And despite ISIS’ claim, Putin didn’t mention the atrocious death cult, instead falsely trying to link Ukraine to the assault and engender support for his war, which recently entered its third year.
The international community has rapidly hit back at his wild accusations in recent days, and Zelensky himself called Putin a “low-life b*****d”.
“What happened yesterday in Moscow is obviously something that Putin and other b*****ds are just trying to blame on someone else,” he said.
“That low-life Putin, instead of dealing with his Russian citizens, addressing them, was silent for a day, thinking about how to bring it to Ukraine.
“Everything is absolutely predictable.”
Ukraine has been forced to repeatedly deny involvement in the attack, which saw four masked gunmen storm the busy concert hall and open fire.
Kyiv blasted the Russian claim that the gunmen were “heading for Ukraine” as nonsense.
They shot down countless people, including children, before setting the building on fire.
At least 139 have been found dead so far, and almost 200 injured.
The White House hit back at Putin’s baseless accusations, dubbing them “Kremlin propaganda”.
Both the US and France said their intelligence pointed to an ISIS body being responsible for the attack.
ISIS-K, a brutal splinter cell of the organisation who have a history of attacking Russia, claimed responsibility outright.
The four suspected attackers, all from Tajikistan, were charged on Sunday night with carrying out the terror attack after being hauled bloody and beaten into a Moscow court.
Gruesome footage leaked online showed the terror suspects being physically tortured with one horrifying photo of a man recieving electric shocks to his genitals as he foams at the mouth.
And the extremist group even threatened another massacre of Russians after seeing the suspects’ torture videos released online.
But Putin today appeared intent on tying the attack to Kyiv with absolutely no evidence.
Ex-UK defence boss Ben Wallace described him as man who has “lies dripping from his lips” and who has convinced himself of a “warped” worldview.
Disinformation campaigns from inside the Kremlin have emerged over the weekend to back up the despot’s insane claims.
Several fake articles have been posted, claiming to be written by Western media, but instead produced by a Russian bot network.
One, which appeared to have been written by German outlet Der Spiegel, said the attack was “clearly” orchestrated by “Ukrainians who are trying to destabilise Russia after their military failures”.
And Russian state TV were caught red-handed using a deep fake of a top Ukrainian official in an attempt to pin the blame on them on Saturday.
Online troll farms, a massive state-run propaganda machine, and more all contribute to a constant stream of misinformation being pumped out from the Kremlin.
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Who are ISIS-K and why would they attack Putin’s Russia?
RUSSIA is reeling after four terror suspects violently murdered 139 people in Friday’s Crocus City Hall massacre in Moscow.
Who are ISIS-K?
Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality.
One of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State militant group, ISIS-K has seen its membership decline since peaking around 2018, with the Taliban and US forces inflicting heavy losses.
But it is feared that ISIS-K has been quietly recruiting and growing its numbers once more and is considered an ongoing threat by the US.
General Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, told Congress last March that ISIS-K was quickly developing the ability to conduct “external operations” in Europe and Asia.
Friday’s attack has seen Isis-K has take over from Chechen rebels as the perpetrators of the most serious attacks in Russia, including the bombing of the St Petersburg metro in 2017, which left 15 dead.
What attacks have the carried out?
ISIS-K has a history of attacks, including against mosques, inside and outside Afghanistan.
In September 2022, ISIS-K militants claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing at the Russian embassy in Kabul.
The group was also responsible for an attack on Kabul’s international airport in 2021 that killed 13 US troops and scores of civilians during the chaotic US evacuation from the country.
Isis-K has been behind a series of smaller-scale plots, including an attempt earlier this month to attack a synagogue in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow.
Why would they attack Russia?
Jihadist terrorist movements have long posed a serious threat to Russia.
While the attack by ISIS-K in Russia on Friday was a dramatic escalation, experts said the group has opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years.
The group is also believed to see Russia as equivalent to the US in its “hatred” for Islam.
“ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years, frequently criticising Putin in its propaganda,” said Colin Clarke of Soufan Center, a New York-based research group.
Michael Kugelman of the Washington-based Wilson Center said ISIS-K “sees Russia as being complicit in activities that regularly oppress Muslims.”
He added that the group also counts as members a number of Central Asian militants with their own grievances against Moscow.
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