Putin says Russia cannot be target for Islamic fundamentalists due to the country’s ‘unique example of interfaith harmony’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the orchestrators of the terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall aimed to “destroy the unity” of Russians, reports Interfax. Putin made the remarks while speaking at a Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia congress on Thursday.
“Judging by the current findings of the investigation, we have every reason to believe that the main goal of the perpetrators of the bloody, horrendous terrorist act in Moscow was to destroy our unity,” said Putin. “There are no other apparent goals; they do not exist because Russia cannot be a target of terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists.”
According to Putin, Russia sets a unique example of interfaith harmony and unity, as well as interreligious and interethnic unity. “And on the international stage, [Russia] conducts itself in such a manner that it would hardly be targeted by Islamic fundamentalists,” Putin added.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack almost immediately after it took place. Nevertheless, the Russian authorities continue to assert, without providing any evidence, that Ukraine was behind it. Kyiv has denied any involvement.
Russia has been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State in recent years. In October 2015, ISIS blew up a Russian plane flying from Egypt to St. Petersburg, killing all 224 people on board. In August 2017, an ISIS militant stabbed at least seven people on a central street in Surgut. In 2018, an ISIS gunman opened fire in an Orthodox church in Kizlyar, killing five people and injuring five others.
