Just a week after Russian thug and war criminal Vladimir Putin "won" his rigged and predictable election for a fifth term in office, his image of a defender of the Russian homeland has been badly shaken with the Crocus City concert hall attack. The death toll from the assault by ISIS-K terrorists stands at 133 with many more injured, despite warning from the U.S. weeks ago that a terrorist attack was likely on public venues like concert halls and warning U.S. citizens to stay away. Now, the Russian thug is desperate to link the ISIS-K attack to Ukraine, not wanting to explain to Russians how this attack was a probable outgrowth of decades of Russian suppression of its Muslim minority, and Russia's military support of the brutal Assad regime in its war against Islamic militants in Syria for the past decade. CNN reports on the implications for Putin of the devastating attack:
"The four men suspected of carrying out the attack were arrested near Russia’s border with Ukraine, Russian authorities said. Putin said they had planned to cross into Ukraine – Kyiv has denied any link with the attack and warned Russia could use it as an excuse to escalate its invasion.
Amid fears of more attacks, security has been tightened at key transport hubs across Russia. Public concerts and sporting events have been postponed.
This is hardly the stability and security for which so many Russians voted for President Putin.
For years, the Kremlin strongman has been cast as a leader able to guarantee order in this vast, turbulent country.
But Russia today seems more insecure and volatile than at any point in Putin’s 24 years in power." (our emphasis)
Now, Putin is dishonestly diverting attention to Ukraine as a conspirator despite ISIS-K's taking responsibility for the attack, partly because he wants to stoke anger against Ukraine and partly because he doesn't want to acknowledge Russia's suppression of Muslims and his brutality in Syria as what likely provoked the attack. It's doubly embarrassing for Putin that he and his intelligence services disregarded intelligence warnings from Western intelligence agencies which proved to be accurate. Unfortunately, with a state-controlled media, most Russians will never know how badly the Kremlin performed.
BONUS: To the tinfoil hat QAnon/ MAGAt conspiracists, there are other culprits right under our noses. "Get the picture, unenlightened ones?"
