Defense Intelligence of Ukraine spokesperson Andrii Yusov firmly denied his country had anything to do with the terror attacks at a concert hall in Russia's Moscow region.
"There are official statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Office, and the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. Of course, Ukraine had nothing to do with it," Yusov said on Ukrainian national TV Saturday.
Earlier Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Russian people that the perpetrators had “tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the border." A handful of Russian officials have suggested without evidence that Ukraine may have been involved in the attack as well.
Yusov called Putin's comments "completely false and absurd."
"A full-scale war has been going on for more than two years. The border areas are saturated with enemy troops, special agents, and security forces. The border line is heavily mined. It is being monitored by all means, including aerial reconnaissance on both sides," Yusov said. "Such regions as Belgorod and Kursk are now a zone of active hostilities. Of course, this claim does not stand up to criticism."
He said that Russia had disregarded warnings, such as those from the US Embassy under its "duty to warn" policy, that terrorist attacks could be possible in large crowds. Putin had told Russia's Federal Security Service on Tuesday that warnings from the US were "provocative" and "outright blackmail."