Zelensky counters Kremlin narrative amid tragic Moscow attack

He was silent for a day, pondering how to connect this with Ukraine - this is how Ukraine's president interpreted Putin's silence. The Kremlin was quick to respond. "The only head of state who dared to blame Russia for the terrorist attack is Zelensky. It’s because the guilty party always shouts the loudest," said Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

Many statements made by Russian media or government representatives are propaganda elements. These statements are part of the information warfare carried out by Russia.

According to the latest information, 133 people were killed in the terrorist attack outside Moscow. Armed assailants struck the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Krasnogorsk on Friday. The crowd was shot at, and there were also reports of explosions. This led to a fire, which caused the roof of the building to collapse.

ISIS claimed the attack. Two of the four attackers arrested in Krasinogorsk were dressed in a manner very similar to a photo published on Telegram by the Islamic State, according to Russian media.

However, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that the four direct perpetrators "attempted to escape and headed towards Ukraine", where there was "a window prepared for them to cross the border on the Ukrainian side, according to initial reports".

Volodymyr Zelensky responded on Saturday night to Putin's statement. "What transpired yesterday in Moscow is clear - both Putin and other wrongdoers are simply trying to deflect blame onto others. They always resort to the same tactics. This has happened before. Buildings were demolished, shootings and explosions happened. And the blame is always placed on others," he shared in a post on the X platform.

"They invaded Ukraine, ravaged our cities - and tried to blame Ukraine. They commit torture and sexual violence - and point fingers at the victims. They brought hundreds of thousands of their terrorists here, to Ukrainian soil, to fight against us, not caring about the consequences in their own country. All this occurred yesterday, and this utterly pitiful Putin, instead of attending to his Russian citizens, stayed silent for a day - contemplating how to link this to Ukraine. Everything is utterly predictable," Zelensky added.

That same day, Zelensky's remarks were addressed by the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The sole head of state who had the clarity to blame Russia for the terrorist attack is Zelensky. It's because the guilty are always anxious," noted Maria Zakharova in a Telegram post. "No insult could harm him as profoundly as his own words," she added.

Zakharova, part of Sergey Lavrov's team, also urged remembering these words "out of respect for those who did not return yesterday" and "in honour of all those on the front lines."