By Athena Papakosta

THE Moscow insists on placing in the same frame Islamic terrorism and Kyiv going, however, a step further.

The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, in his statements yesterday, Tuesday, accused not only the Ukraine but also the United States and the Britain.

“We believe that the action was prepared, at the same time, by the radical Islamists themselves and, of course, was facilitated by the Western special services,” he pointed out characteristically, adding – without quoting the necessary evidence, that “the Ukrainian special services themselves are directly involved ».

The head of the secret services of the Russian Federation was content only to note that the alleged perpetrators of the attack tried to flee to Ukraine, repeating in this way the relevant claims of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a day earlier.

However, the position of the Belarusian president, Alexander, causes a sensation Lukashenkowho although – officially – Vladimir Putin’s last ally on European soil, said that the perpetrators initially tried to cross into Belarus.

For its part, Kiev consistently denies any involvement. And the advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhailo Podoliak, with his relevant post on X, formerly Twitter, spoke of “lies” which, as he pointed out, are being spread “from official lips”.

Mr. Podoliak also referred to the relevant statements of Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council of Russia, who, when asked by a journalist whether “ISIS or Ukraine” was behind the attack, he, according to the SHOT news agency, answered “Ukraine.”

At the same time, Mr White House notes through his spokeswoman, Karin Jean-Pierre, that the Russian president is “very well aware” that last Friday’s terrorist attack at the Crocus Music Hall in Moscow was carried out by the Islamic state.

She is now on the same line France with the country’s president already calling on Moscow on Monday “not to point the blame at Ukraine” as, as he explained, that would be “both cynical and counterproductive for Russia and the security of its citizens”.

So far the Russian Federation is mourning 139 dead. 90 people are still hospitalized, of which 22 remain in a critical condition.

As far as the fourwho have already been detained on terrorism charges on suspicion of the attack, Russian authorities have brought in investigators and are already in Tajikistan to question their families.

The obvious signs of beating on their faces as well as the image of one of them on a special stretcher and in a semi-conscious state are still going around the world generating reactions while a Turkish security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that two of them had passed for a short time period from Turkey before they travel to Russia on March 2.

A storm of arrests has already broken out in Turkey.

As it became known, the Turkish authorities have already made 147 arrests of suspects for connections with the Islamic State with simultaneous operations in 30 provinces. All are accused of being active members of the Islamic State, of having participated in the organization’s armed operations and of having helped finance it.