"The terrorist attack in Moscow was the work of radical Islamists. This atrocity may be just one link in a series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 at the hands of the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev."
This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the security services, broadcast on state television.
"We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists, against whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries," Putin said.
He repeated his claim that the perpetrators of last week's massacre had tried to flee to Ukraine and asked "why" and "who was waiting for them there".
"Of course, it is necessary to answer the question, why did the terrorists try to go to Ukraine after committing the crime? Who was waiting for them there?" asked the Russian head of state.
He said the shooting was part of a "wider campaign of intimidation" by Ukraine.
"This atrocity may be just one link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 at the hands of the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev," Putin said.
According to Putin, those who planned the attack "hoped to sow panic and discord in our society, but they met with unity and determination against this evil."
France today joined the US in saying intelligence points to Islamic State being responsible for an attack on a concert hall outside Moscow that killed 137 people, while Russia continued to say Ukraine was involved.
More than 130 people died in the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall on March 22.
So far, Putin has not commented on the official statements of the "Islamic State" that its fighters organized and carried out the attack.
Four men of Tajik origin were remanded in custody on terrorism charges in Moscow's Basmanny District Court on suspicion of carrying out the attack.
Three others, also of Tajik origin, are detained on suspicion of complicity. /BGNES
