White House calls Russians "humus sellers" for trying to link Ukraine to the Crocus attack

Despite public statements by Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials trying to shift the blame for the Crocus City Hall attack onto Ukraine, the United States and its allies, it is clear that the ISIS terrorist group bears full responsibility for this attack in Moscow.

This was stated by John Kirby, a representative of the US National Security Council, as quoted by The Hill.

He called Putin's words about the "Kyiv trace" in the attack "ridiculous propaganda" and "nonsense", with which the Kremlin leader wants to force Russians to rally around the war with Ukraine.

"My uncle used to say that the best manure salesmen often carry samples in their mouths. Russian officials seem to be great manure salesmen," Kirby said.

He noted that "the United States was trying to help prevent this attack, and the Kremlin knows it."

In particular, on the morning of 7 March, Washington sent a written warning to Russian intelligence services about the attack, and the next day the embassy issued a public warning asking American citizens to avoid large gatherings and concerts in Moscow, Kirby recalled.

He added that on the eve of the 22 March attack, the US government had provided the Russian authorities with detailed information about the terrorist threat of mass gatherings in the capital.

Kirby made the statement after Russia's Investigative Committee reported on the discovery of evidence that links the Crocus attackers to "Ukrainian nationalists". The agency reported that the militants had received cash and cryptocurrency from Ukraine and then used these funds to prepare the attack.

The day before, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said that Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom were behind the attack on Crocus. According to him, the attack was carried out by radical Islamists with the assistance of Ukrainian special services.

Putin had also previously voiced the version that the "neo-Nazi Kyiv regime" was involved in the attack and hinted that it was done on the instructions of the West.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also called the accusations made by the Russian leadership "complete nonsense".

"We support the US statements that clearly state that ISIS is solely responsible for this attack," he stressed.

Background. As reported earlier, Bloomberg wrote that Putin's entourage does not believe that Ukraine was involved in the attack in Crocus.