Putin addressed the Russians – MK

He declared a national day of national mourning

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russians at 15:30 Moscow time after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.

Putin announced that March 24 is being declared a day of national mourning

Dozens of innocent people became victims of the bloody barbaric terrorist act, the president said. He said that doctors are fighting for the lives of the victims. Putin thanked the ambulance and air ambulance crews, special forces soldiers, firefighters and rescuers, as well as ordinary citizens who did not remain indifferent in the first minutes after the tragedy and helped the victims.

The President said that additional anti-terrorism and anti-sabotage measures are in force in Moscow, the Moscow region and other regions of the country.

The head of state recalled that 11 people involved in the terrorist attack were detained, including all four direct perpetrators. They tried to escape and were moving towards Ukraine, Putin said. The President said that on the Ukrainian side, according to preliminary data, a window had been prepared for them to cross the border.

The Federal Security Service and other Russian law enforcement agencies are working to identify the entire terrorist support base, the Russian leader said. According to him, it is already obvious that this is not just a carefully planned terrorist attack, but a prepared and organized mass murder of defenseless people. Putin compared the terrorist attack to the actions of the Nazis, who committed massacres in the occupied territories.

“All perpetrators, organizers and customers of this crime will suffer fair and inevitable punishment,” the president said. He said that the terrorists would face retribution and oblivion.

Putin expressed his condolences to everyone who lost relatives and friends in the terrorist attack, and assured that all victims would be provided with the necessary assistance.