Russia has turned directly to the Ukrainian government to request the extradition of the head of its secret service, accused of having organized terrorist attacks on Russian soil, and has announced legal cases in international courts. Moscow therefore states that it intends to follow legal channels to respond to a series of attacks which in the two years of conflict have affected the capital, but for the moment it still abstains from directly accusing Kiev for the attack on the Crocus City Hall. It is true that, from President Vladimir Putin on down, all politicians and heads of the security services continue to suspect Kiev's role as instigator of the attack, which caused 144 deaths and which was claimed by ISIS. But the Foreign Ministry points out that until the investigation is completed and the necessary evidence collected, it is not possible to officially implicate Ukraine.
Moscow, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova underlined, instead sent to Kiev, through a diplomatic channel that passes through Belarus, specific requests regarding other episodes. Among these requests, formulated on the basis of international conventions for the fight against terrorism, there is the arrest and extradition of the head of the secret services (SBU), Vasily Malyukwho in a recent interview provided details – consequently admitting responsibility – in a series of attacks.
Speaking on Primo Canale television, the spokesperson called the Ukrainians into question, not only for the attack on the Crimean Bridge in October 2022, but also against journalists and public figures who supported the armed intervention in Ukraine. Like the killings of Darya Dugina and Vladlen Tatarsky and the wounding of the writer Zakhar Prilepin. If Kiev does not agree to hand over the accused and pay damages to the victims, it will have to answer for its “international legal responsibilities” before the judges, the spokeswoman warned. And “if new information emerges” on a possible role for Ukraine, the same procedure will be followed regarding the Crocus attack.
The internal intelligence services, FSB, have announced that they have defeated another terrorist cell in Dagestan, the Russian republic of the North Caucasus, arresting four people who intended to detonate a bomb in a crowded place in the city of Kaspiysk, on the Caspian Sea . The FSB added that one of those arrested also confessed to having personally brought weapons and money to Mytishchi, on the outskirts of Moscow, to hand them over to the Crocus attackers.
In recent days the US had said it had warned Russia in advance of an attack being prepared in the capital. Now the Reuters agency writes that it has learned from three well-informed sources that Iran had also warned Moscow. “I don't know anything about it,” commented Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to a question.
Meanwhile, the former head of the Russian Interpol office, retired police general Vladimir Ovchinsky, in an interview on state television hypothesized that chips may have been implanted in the brains of the perpetrators of the Crocus City Hall attack , because, he said, their “consciousness was disabled.”
On the Ukrainian front, a member of the pro-Russian administration of the Lugansk region was killed in an attack when his car was blown up. While Peskov announced that Russia will evaluate whether to continue to recognize Volodymyr Zelensky as president of Ukraine in the absence of presidential elections only after his mandate expires in May. According to the provisions of the Constitution, the consultation should have been held yesterday, but it was made impossible by martial law. The Moscow Defense Ministry finally specified that the enlistment of around 150,000 new recruits, on the basis of a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin, is part of the normal spring call-up and “has nothing to do” with the conflict in Ukraine, where these soldiers will not be sent.
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Russia: Patrushev, NATO trains anti-Russia mercenaries
NATO instructors in several countries are training mercenaries and saboteurs for anti-Russian operations. This was stated by the secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev. The news is relaunched by Ria Novosti. “NATO instructors in different countries are training mercenaries and saboteurs for their participation in anti-Russian operations,” he said in an interview dedicated to the 75 anniversary of the creation of NATO. As the Secretary of the Security Council noted, NATO does not hesitate to use terrorist organizations in its own interests. The members of the organization, he underlined, obediently impose sanctions, spend money on intelligence, psychological operations and cyber attacks and participate in «actions aimed at weakening and disorganizing the system of public administration of countries that do not agree with the policies of Anglo-Americans”. Moreover, according to Patrushev, NATO has de facto become a party to the conflict in Ukraine, the alliance is actively involved in organizing the bombing of Russian territories by Ukrainian militiamen and makes collective decisions on the new supply of weapons to Kiev.
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