Moscow attack has led to a complex situation

The band 'Picnic,' a long-standing rock band, is gearing up to start their concert. The venue is located near Moscow, approximately 12 miles away from the Kremlin, in the city of Krasnogorsk. The incident occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The band is set to kick off their performance titled 'Afraid of Nothing,' attracting a capacity crowd of 6,200 people. The local time displayed on the clock was 8:15 in the evening when some attendees were still arriving.

Suddenly, a group of armed individuals makes their way into the hall. They are armed with modern Kalashnikov automatic assault rifles and Makarov automatic pistols. They fire indiscriminately. Video footage of this horrifying attack is circulating on the internet. So far, 140 people, including 3 children, have lost their lives in this brutal attack. Additionally, 182 others have been seriously injured and are currently undergoing treatment. Simultaneously, the attackers hurl grenades and Molotov cocktails into the building, setting it ablaze. Then, the four assailants quickly flee the scene, but they couldn't get far.

It is imperative that those who committed these heinous crimes face trial and punishment. The Russian Federal Security Service has detained a total of 11 individuals, including the four directly involved in the attack. However, now the big question arises: who were behind this attack? The calculation is indeed complicated. Within a few hours of the attack, ISK, also known as the Islamic State Khorasan, claimed responsibility. ISIS, or the Islamic State, is indeed a jihadist militant group, and the Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) is its branch. They were focused on a region spanning Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, known as Khorasan. Their main headquarters were believed to be in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Those directly involved in the attack were all citizens of Turkmenistan. One of them told Russian investigators that several months ago, he was motivated by the speeches of a religious preacher. He was promised 500,000 rubles from an unknown source as payment for carrying out the attack. 500,000 rubles equate to around $5,500 US dollars. Half of this promised amount has already been transferred to his bank account.

However, Moscow has not accepted ISIS's claim. They have stated that although ISIS carried out the attack, Ukraine is behind it. They have reasons for making such statements. Firstly, it has been observed that after many attacks in various parts of the world, ISIS claims responsibility, but later it is discovered that the work was not actually done by ISIS; they just sought credit for it. Even after the Holy Artisan attack in Bangladesh, ISIS claimed responsibility, stating that they orchestrated the attack. They even posted photos of the attack on their website; however, it was Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who were behind that attack. Nonetheless, there is not much difference between ISIS and them. Russia does not agree with ISIS's claim of responsibility for the Moscow attack.

Secondly, just a few days ago, attackers traveling in a car were apprehended on their way towards the Ukrainian border. Russian security forces immediately closed off all border areas as soon as the attack occurred. They managed to capture the first individual from the Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border after 14 hours. The location where he was captured is 400 kilometers away from Moscow. The rest had fled deep into the forests, but they were eventually apprehended after a short period of time. This further solidifies Vladimir Putin's belief that Ukraine is behind this attack. He has consistently emphasized that he doesn't entertain the idea of Ukraine's involvement after the incidents. Furthermore, Ukraine essentially means the Westerners. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is essentially a proxy war. Several NATO-affiliated countries, ranging from providing weapons to training Ukrainian soldiers, have been involved in supporting Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is merely a puppet.

Additionally, Western media has been reporting that on March 7th, the United States had warned Vladimir Putin that a major terrorist attack, such as a concert or a mass gathering, could occur. However, Moscow didn't take the US warnings seriously. Putin believed it was propaganda aimed at influencing the elections. The United States also cautioned its citizens present in Russia through their embassy about attending public gatherings. This might be because the US intelligence agencies are more adept at dealing with Islamic extremist organizations than others. They have been planting their agents in several extremist organizations for a long time. Furthermore, besides their operations, no one understands their motives better than the United States. Many in the West are saying that there are several motives behind this attack. One is that Russia is supporting Bashar al-Assad in Syria against militant organizations. Assad remains in power just because of Russia. Secondly, this attack is supposedly due to Russia and China vetoing the proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations Security Council. However, this is completely untrue. Russia and China have stated that this proposal is highly politicized. According to the United States' proposal, Israel's military would have more opportunities for the Rafah Operation.

Whoever is behind the Moscow attack, gives Moscow more of an excuse to attack Ukraine. Already, several cities including Moscow, Lviv, and Kiev have experienced severe attacks. On the other hand, the attackers have been remanded to police custody through the court, pending investigation until May 22nd. Throughout the world, images have surfaced depicting Russian investigators subjecting the attackers to inhumane treatment. They will undoubtedly uncover the true nature of the incident. Human bodies are such a sensitive subject that there is only a certain level of tolerance. However, how Russia perceives this attack largely depends on President Vladimir Putin's stance.

Author: Fiction writer and Journalist