A recent article on TASS:
...provides us with a glimpse into the Russian mindset when it comes to Washington's meddling in the recent Crocus City Hall terrorist attack which took the lives of 140 Russian civilians just after 20:00 hours Moscow time (1:00 pm EDT) on March 22, 2024.
The TASS article quotes a Sputnik radio interview with Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Here are some quotes with my bolds throughout:
"The very fact that within the first 24 hours [after the attack], even before the fire was put out, the Americans started screaming that it wasn't Ukraine, I think, is a piece of incriminating evidence. I can't classify it otherwise; it is evidence in and of itself....
The second fact to note concerns the clamor by the US that this assuredly was the work of ISIS (former name of IS - TASS). Of course, the speed with which they were able to [come to such forthright conclusions] is astonishing. It took them only a few hours to get to a microphone, turn on the lights, summon the press and draw a conclusion about who is to blame for this horribly bloody terrorist attack.
"I think they’ve boxed themselves into a corner, because as soon as they started screaming that it was ISIS, all those people who work in international relations, who are political scientists and experts, recalled and reminded everyone else what ISIS really is. You are behind all those ISIS-type structures, you - the United States, Great Britain - yourselves brought them into being."
For your information, the press briefing referred to in Zakharova's comments took place at 2:08 pm EDT on March 22, 2024, slightly over 24 hours after the attack began:
In that briefing, White House Security Advisor John Kirby makes the following comments:
"MR. KIRBY: — because I do you have a few things I — I’m going to try to get through here. Let me put my cheaters on.
First, before I go through what I had prepared to talk about, obviously, we’ve all seen the reports and the video coming out of Moscow — this violent shooting at a — looks like a shopping mall. Can’t speak much to the details of it. I mean, this was all just breaking before I came on out here.
So, we’re trying to get more information but really would refer to Russian authorities to — to speak to it. The images are just horrible and just hard to watch. And our thoughts, obviously, are going to be with the — the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack.
And I think, you know, you look at that video, if you have, and you got to recognize that there’s some moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters that haven’t gotten the news yet. And this is going to be a tough day. So, our thoughts are with them."
This is followed by this exchange:
"Q Thanks, Karine. Thanks, Admiral. On the attack in Moscow, I know you’re still gathering information, but do you have any sense whether this could be linked at all to the conflict in Ukraine?
MR. KIRBY: There is no indication at this time that Ukraine or Ukrainians were involved in the shooting. But, again, this just broke. We’re taking a look at it. But I would disabuse you at this early hour of any connection to Ukraine."
As Zakharova stated, within 24 hours, the White House was already informing the world that it had decided that, even though they admitted that they had very little information, Ukraine was not connected in any way to the attack. This is the narrative that was then propagated by the Western world's media.
Kirby also said this:
"Q On — wait. Real quick, the follow-up on Russia is: Is there any indication — there has been speculation that it shows that the protest that was brought up with Aleksey’s death, that there is some pattern of instability now in the Russian regime. Would you confirm that? Or do you think it’s too early to say that?
MR. KIRBY: I — I think it’s difficult with the news today to make some broader point about instability in Moscow or in Russia. Clearly, you know, there are people in — in Moscow and in Russia that object to the way Mr. Putin is governing the country.
But I don’t think we’re — at this early hour, we can make a link between the — the shopping mall attack and — and political motivations. I think we just — we just need to — we need more time, and we need to learn more information."
That's twice in a few minutes that John Kirby admits that they have little information about the attack.
In a March 27, 2024 press briefing, Zakharova stated this and please excuse the length of the quote but there is a lot to be unpackaged:
"The response of countries of the collective West to the terrorist attack (that killed and injured hundreds of civilians, including women and children) speaks volumes. This outrage was unequivocally branded as a terrorist attack. What was the initial response of the collective West countries? They started choosing words in order to avoid making direct assessments and to make it clear that they are not evaluating the tragedy in our country in line with the very same standards used to judge themselves. Subsequent developments are more than telling.
After realising that the Global Majority’s response is different, they understood that they would no longer be able to “sit it out” and to “juggle with words.” The Anglo-Saxons and their European allies began to make restrained statements condemning terrorists. They followed a path trodden by the “Skripals’ case,” “Novichok” and incidents involving the Nord Stream pipelines, without waiting for the results of the investigation and more or less verified official reports. They immediately found the culprit. This time, they found it inappropriate to accuse Russia. They realised that they would then turn into real global outcasts. The Kiev regime stepped in on their behalf. No one could think that these minutes and days someone would blame Russia for the grief that befell it. Such people surfaced on Bankovaya Street. I am talking about the regime of Vladimir Zelensky and the Kiev-based neo-Nazism; the collective West has been providing political and media support to this well-paid and armed regime for many years. Consequently, they told it to do this extremely dirty work once again and to blame our country. For 24 hours, Western representatives made different statements saying that they were watching, that they were not ready to make the relevant assessments so far or that they were simply feeling sad, while responding to the condemnation of terrorist attacks, words of encouragement and condolences to the victims. As I have already said, the banned ISIS terrorist organisation was selected as the culprit.
I would like to inform those who have “suddenly” forgotten that high-ranking German officers admitted preparing another act of sabotage against Russia two weeks ago. The media published a recording of the conversation between four persons. They were high-ranking and empowered representatives of the German armed forces who discussed the best options for destroying civilian Russian infrastructure, specifically, the Crimean Bridge. We will discuss this issue today in more detail. Following the publication of this recording, no one in Berlin was able to officially explain to German citizens and the entire international community the reasons why Germany considers it possible to discuss acts of sabotage, terrorist attacks and extremism at state level. These outrages were to be perpetrated by proxies, just as they planned it on the territory of other states. Today, we will also talk about the response of the international community to terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Zelensky regime over all these years.
To divert suspicion away from the collective West, from Washington, London, Berlin (as I have said, Berlin almost expressly discussed the possibility of committing terrorist attacks in our country), Paris and other NATO countries, they needed to find some explanation, anything at all, and quickly. That’s where they decided to use ISIS. So to speak, they pulled that ace from their sleeve.
Just a few hours after the attack, the Anglo-Saxon mainstream media (CNN, the New York Times, and many others) began to peddle their versions, which essentially boiled down to this: the Islamic State was fully responsible. According to the Western mainstream media reports, the United States obtained intelligence as far back as early March that Wilayat Khorasan (IS-Khorasan is the terrorist group’s subdivision in Afghanistan) was planning an attack in Moscow. However, it is extremely difficult to believe that a group of 4,000-6,000 people (according to the UN) has such extensive capabilities. Even if it does, it would be advisable to wait until the investigation is completed. But no, once again, we’ve seen this linkage between the Western political establishment, including special services, and the Western media....
White House spokesman John Kirby’s statement, made in Washington shortly after the attack, raised eyebrows even at home, not only outside the United States. At first, he said he needed “more time, and we need to learn more information” on the Crocus City Hall attack for the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Finally, one would think, someone sees reason – we need to wait for at least some preliminary examination results, for interrogations and investigative actions. But no, after just a couple of hours, the pieces must have clicked together. The White House and the State Department declared that Ukraine had no role in the attack. What grounds or what information did they have to draw this conclusion? This was absolutely unclear. One thing was clear though. They started finding excuses for the Kiev regime in order to get themselves off the hook. Everyone is perfectly aware that there is no independent Kiev regime without Western financial support or military aid.
As a reminder, American liberal Democrats have been financing the terrorist activities of the Kiev crime ring for a long time, not a year or two, or even five. It began under the Obama Administration, when Joe Biden, who is now President of the United States, was Vice President. In ten years, Ukraine has been transformed by the West into a centre for the spread of terrorism. However, ignoring this “dancing on the graves” organised by Ukrainian propagandists, people from all continents are extending their heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured and strongly condemning this terrible attack against innocent civilians.
We are thankful to everyone worldwide who responded with compassion to the tragic terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. Heads of state and government, heads of government agencies, international organisations, non-profit organisations, religious groups, and concerned citizens have all shown their sympathy in the face of this terrible tragedy. In moments like these, the true nature of a person is revealed. However, we cannot overlook the monstrous and misanthropic remarks made by Ukrainian professional propagators of terrorism. The actions and statements of the Kiev regime adepts underscore their moral decline and ugly Nazi nature. Unfortunately, the mainstream Western media fail to shed light on this dark side of modern blatant neo-Nazism in Ukraine, which is rooted in hatred towards all things Russian. They are not ridiculed in caricatures, nor are they held accountable by international human rights organisations, or subjected to “cancel culture” for their reprehensible statements and actions. Instead, they are rewarded with even more financial support. But for what purpose? As George W. Bush once remarked, to enable them to kill even more Russians. It appears that the representatives of the White House and the current Biden administration have embraced this notion, deeming it a beneficial arrangement."
If you sit down and think about Maria Zakharova's comments about Washington's haste to declare Ukraine not guilty of the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack even though they admitted that they had little information, at the very least, it looks suspicious. How could the White House unequivocally decide that their allies in the Kiev regime were innocent less than 24 hours after the attack took place when no evidence had been gathered...unless, of course, they were complicit in its planning.
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