On the 22nd of March, Moscow’s Crocus City Hall was attacked by at least five camouflage-clad gunmen — they opened fire and detonated explosives — killing at least 139 people and injuring over 200. Later, ISIS (Islamic State) claimed to be behind this deadly attack in the Capital of Russia.
As the U.S. claims, on the 7th of March, it warned its citizens living in Russia to avoid large gatherings, particularly concerts through its U.S. Embassy website for Russia. 15 days later the attack took place. Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House also revealed within an hour of the attack that the U.S. warned Russian authorities as well about the upcoming attack on the 8th of March this month. However, the Russian authority dismissed the U.S. claims and expressed that they had the intel yet they did not share it.
The next day Russian forces captured four of the attackers who claimed that they were paid by an anonymous person through Telegram to carry out the attack. ISIS also claimed responsibility, while Russian authority assumed that the attack was planned by the West-backed Ukrainian government. Later, Vladimir Putin also acknowledged that ISIS had carried out the attack but it has a connection with the Ukrainian authority. Russian court charges four men with acts of terrorism.
The whole world knows that ISIS has a motif and they have carried out several attacks on the Russian army, embassy, and personnel due to its involvement in the Syrian war. However, this is not our main topic.
Our main topic is — why would the U.S. warn Russia of the upcoming attack? This is an obvious question because we all know that the U.S. has been helping Ukraine with an abundance of money, arms, and intelligence to attack on Russian soil to protect its own interests in the region.
The U.S., the global superpower wants Ukraine to join NATO which would strengthen its dominance in the region along the Russian border. Without any doubt, NATO membership poses an existential threat to Russia. Considering the potential threat — for decades — Russia warned Ukraine not to make that move, and join NATO. However, Ukraine chose America over its neighbour and continues to push for NATO membership, which forced Russia to launch a military campaign in February 2022. Since then, the Russia-Ukraine war has continued.
Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine triggered the deepest crisis in Russia’s relations with the West led by America. The world has not seen such gruesome hostility between Russia and America since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
For the last two years, the U.S. supplied Ukraine with billions of dollars, tons of ammunition, and important secret intelligence, so that Ukraine could continue to fight Russia on the ground. On the other hand, the US and its allies have put numerous sanctions and isolated Russia from international communities. It has been also reported that American soldiers have also been fighting for Ukraine against Russia. The Kremlin has also accused Washington of taking part in the war against Russia.
When the relationship between the U.S. and Russia is so bitter and the U.S. wants to destroy Russia, why would they warn—as it claims—Russia of its upcoming attack? Isn’t it what they want in the first place? Isn’t it why they have been helping Ukraine? If that is the case why would the U.S. government suddenly become so nice toward Russia? It doesn’t make sense. The same goes for America’s long-term antagonist Iran on its 3rd January massacre, of which the U.S. warned Tehran before the attack, and later ISIS-Khorasan claimed responsibility.
Yet there is one claim — Russia denied that the U.S. did not share the full intel with the Russian authority according to RT News. For the sake of argument., let’s say they warned Russia, yet the question remains, why? Well, there might be a few reasons for that;
Firstly, the U.S. may have wanted to make it look like they have no connection with the attack given that there have been reports that the U.S. and Israel have been funding ISIS since the beginning and it has worked as a proxy to the Pentagon and Mossad for several times. Moreover, the Ukraine war and the U.S. logistics and financial support puts the U.S. on Russia’s radar as the potential planner of the attack.
Secondly, the attackers headed toward the Ukrainian border and the Russian authority had intel that some were waiting out there to receive the attackers. Moreover, there has been news on the internet that one of the attackers is a Ukrainian citizen who worked for its army. It strongly indicates that Ukraine has involvement in the attack. So, to bail out Ukraine from Russia’s accusation, the U.S. might have, pulled the string, warned Russia, and directed the whole thing to its proxy mercenary group, ISIS.
Thirdly, the blame might have gone towards, Israel as well because, a few months earlier the U.S. warning, an Israeli Likud politician, Amir Weitmann, threatened Russia for supporting Hamas and attacking Ukraine on live TV—RT. He directly said that “Russia will pay the price”.
Under these circumstances, if not Ukraine, Russia has to connect the dots and direct the blame on Israel. Since, the four captive attackers have confessed that they were paid to carry out the concert hall attack, and they have no idea who paid them, there must be a Russian enemy who has pulled the strings. Under this fierce situation, the U.S. warning would work as a bail-out for Israel from Russian suspicion.
***These are just my opinions which came from my understanding of the Moscow concert hall attack, and if any refutes my understanding, please make a comment, and share your view.
