Terrorist attack in Moscow Oblast: death toll rises to 133, Russians raise death penalty issue

The death toll from the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow has risen to 133. Meanwhile, Denis Pushilin, leader of the Russian-backed “Donetsk People’s Republic”, blames Ukraine for the terrorist attack. The Russians have raised the issue of introducing the death penalty for “perpetrators”.

Source: Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF); Kremlin-aligned Russian news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS; Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza

Quote from ICRF: “The death toll from the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall has risen to 133 people during the rubble clearance. Search and rescue operations are underway.”

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Details: Early reports indicated that a total of 93 people had been killed and 107 hospitalised due to the shooting incident. Meduza noted that the incident in Crocus City Hall was the largest terrorist attack in Russia in terms of death toll since the tragedy in Beslan. The hostage-taking at Beslan School No. 1 in September 2004 claimed the lives of 334 people.

Meanwhile, Pushilin commented on the events in Crocus, claiming that it was “obvious to him who the mastermind and financier is”. “We know the cynicism of the Ukrainian regime and those who lead it,” he claimed.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Russia-24 TV channel that Russia would do everything to make the Western community finally wake up from the “drug of permissiveness” for Kyiv.

Moreover, in the wake of the terrorist attack in Moscow Oblast, the Russians have raised the issue of introducing the death penalty for supposed terrorists.

Mikhail Sheremet, a member of the State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament) from occupied Crimea, told RIA Novosti that he intended to initiate the issue of the death penalty for “terrorists”.

Vladimir Vasiliev, Head of Putin’s United Russia faction in the State Duma, commented on the initiative to introduce the death penalty, stating that “a decision will be made that will meet society’s expectations”.

Background:

• A shooting incident occurred at a concert by the band Piknik at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, on the evening of 22 March.
• Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) stated that the terrorist attack was a deliberate provocation by Putin’s regime that had been anticipated by the international community. Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, stated that Ukraine had nothing to do with the attack.
• The White House said it saw no evidence of any Ukrainian involvement in the attack, which has claimed the lives of dozens of people.
• Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed that a “back door” had been prepared for the suspects in the attack to cross the border with Ukraine. Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence responded by saying that these claims are entirely devoid of truth.
• The United States has no doubt that ISIS was involved in the terrorist attack on a concert in the suburbs of Moscow on the evening of 22 March and had warned Russia in advance of the threat of such a terrorist attack.

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