Russian investigators announced this Thursday that the perpetrators of the attack on a concert hall near Moscow that killed 143 people had links to Ukrainian nationalists and received funds from Ukraine.
“Investigators have information confirming that the perpetrators of the attack received large sums of money and cryptocurrencies from Ukraine, which were used in the preparation of this crime,” the Russian Investigative Committee said.
The attack, which took place on Friday night, was claimed by the ‘jihadist’ organization Islamic State, but Russian authorities have insisted on the Ukrainian trail. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack, one of the most serious to occur in Russia in recent years.
The committee also stated that the perpetrators of the attack had links to Ukrainian nationalists, according to a statement cited by the French agency AFP.
The courts have already placed eight suspects involved in the attack in pre-trial detention, including the four accused of carrying out the attack. The suspects were accused of terrorism and could be sentenced to life in prison.
North Korea returns to the sphere of war in Ukraine
Russia vetoed an annual UN Security Council resolution, which had been approved for 14 years, which aimed to extend the mandate of the panel of experts that evaluates sanctions on North Korea.
The decision was repudiated by the United States, which accuses North Korea of selling weapons to Russia to be used in the war against Ukraine. Both the Moscow and Pyongyang regimes have denied the accusations, but the truth is that the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un has improved significantly since the start of the invasion.
The sanctions applied by the UN are due to North Korea’s nuclear programs and ballistic missile tests off the peninsula.
According to The Guardian, the White House considered that Russia’s veto is “an irresponsible action” and “undermines” security in the region and the world. The South Korean ambassador said that the decision is “comparable to destroying a video surveillance camera to avoid being caught in the act”.
Other news
> Russian bombings caused the death of at least three civilians and injured 15 others in the south and east of Ukraine, reported the Ukrainian authorities, who simultaneously announced the arrest of two suspected spies. In a statement, the Ukrainian security services (SBU) confirmed the arrest of a man who intended to enlist as a chaplain in the Ukrainian Army to transmit military information to Moscow.
> Russian President Vladimir Putin described as “complete nonsense” the statements made by the West that Russia, after Ukraine, is preparing to attack Europe, in a meeting with military pilots in the Tver region, north of the country. “What they say about us going to attack Europe after Ukraine is complete nonsense, it is intimidation of its population,” said Vladimir Putin, quoted today by Russian agencies.
> Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Chmygal announced today that they had “made progress” but without reaching an agreement for the dispute over the entry of Ukrainian agricultural products into the European Union (EU), via Poland.
> One Russian court sentenced to six years in prison a man who was accused of posting messages on a social network denouncing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a country that has firmly repressed public criticism of the war.
> The 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) today reached an agreement to extend, until June 2025, the exemption from tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers on imports from Ukraine, albeit with safeguards to protect the market from disruptions.
Tags: Russian investigators confirm accusation Ukraine attack Moscow veto Pyongyang worries #774th day war
--
