Referring to four of the eleven men arrested in connection with the concert hall attack, Putin said in an address to the nation broadcast on Russian state television on Saturday afternoon that there was a clear “Ukrainian trail.”
“They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where a window had been prepared for them to cross the border,” Putin said.
Russia’s FSB domestic intelligence service had previously reported arrests in the southern Bryansk region, which borders on Ukraine.
More than two years into its defence against a full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine emphatically rejected rumours of its involvement in the attack on the outskirts of Moscow.
The Islamic State terrorist militia also issued a message claiming responsibility for the attack, which some experts consider to be genuine.
Russian propagandists were quick to claim that Ukraine was behind the bloodshed, but did not provide any proof of this.
According to the authorities, more than 100 people were killed in the assault with small arms and explosives on Friday evening at the Crocus City Hall concert and event venue.
