Putin Implicates Ukraine in Moscow Attack Despite Islamic State Claim of Responsibility

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the alleged suspects involved in Russia’s terrorist attack, a successful United Nations vote on Gaza, and “aggressive actions” in the South China Sea.

Investigating Moscow’s Terrorist Attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a national day of mourning on Sunday and pledged to punish all those responsible for the terrorist attack last Friday that killed at least 139 people and injured nearly 180 others at a concert at Crocus City Hall in Moscow. Authorities have detained 11 suspects thus far, including four Tajik nationals charged on Sunday with committing an act of terrorism. If found guilty, they face the maximum sentence of life in prison—although former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, among others, have called for Putin to reinstate the death penalty. On Monday, Russian authorities identified three additional people that they allege were involved.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for last Friday’s attack and released video footage of the attack purportedly taken by one of the perpetrators. Putin, however, suggested that Kyiv was involved in the assault, saying the four charged suspects were allegedly apprehended while on a highway leading to Ukraine. “[A] window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border,” Putin said.

Kyiv denied any involvement in the attack, and both the United States and France said the Islamic State was solely responsible. It is “cynical and counterproductive for Russia and her citizens” to try to blame Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said. According to the White House, the United States shared information with Russia earlier this month warning of a planned attack in Moscow. On March 7, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow also issued a public advisory for all U.S. nationals to avoid crowded spaces in the capital city, including concerts.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the Islamic State’s involvement or whether Washington provided Russia with prior intelligence, arguing that it was sensitive information and that Russia does not comment on ongoing investigations.

Some regional experts believe last Friday’s attack may threaten Putin’s public image, considering it was the deadliest assault in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, when Islamist militants took more than 1,000 people hostage and eventually killed 300, more than half of whom were children.

Yet Putin’s hold on power reportedly remains strong. Last week, he was reelected to another six-year term in largely predetermined elections mere weeks after opposition leader Alexei Navalny died while imprisoned at a Siberian penal colony. And Russia continued its assault on Kyiv over the weekend with renewed missile and drone attacks—one of which violated Polish airspace for 39 seconds while en route to targets in western Ukraine.

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The World This Week

Tuesday, March 26: Macron begins a three-day trip in Brazil.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits Slovenia.

Wednesday, March 27: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni begins a two-day trip in Lebanon.

Scholz hosts Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina.

South Africa’s central bank determines its interest rate.

Thursday, March 28: Poland and Ukraine hold talks on their dispute over cheap Ukrainian grain imports.

Sunday, March 31: Turkey holds local elections.

What We’re Following

A key U.N. abstention. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on March 10. The resolution also demands the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages held in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region. The council’s 10 nonpermanent members drafted the text, and 14 nations voted to approve the resolution. The United States abstained. “Finally, finally, the Security Council is shouldering its responsibility,” said Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s ambassador to the U.N.

This was the council’s sixth attempt at passing a resolution calling for a halt in fighting since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. The United States vetoed three resolutions, and China and Russia vetoed two drafts, the most recent occurring last Friday. Attempts to amend the text by restoring earlier language that included the word “permanent” failed. Security Council resolutions are legally binding but lack an enforcement mechanism, though Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., referred to the text as a “nonbinding resolution.” Other Biden administration officials have also referred to it as nonbinding, a position that is inconsistent with what other countries and international legal experts have said.

In response to the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled plans to send a delegation to Washington this week to discuss Israel’s much-criticized impending military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The United States’ decision not to veto the resolution will hurt war efforts, Netanyahu argued, by giving “Hamas hope that international pressure will enable them to achieve a cease-fire without freeing the hostages.” The White House denied that the abstention signaled a shift in policy.

South China Sea spat. The Philippines’ foreign ministry summoned China’s charge d’affaires to Manila on Monday to protest “aggressive actions” in the South China Sea. It accused Beijing’s coast guard of firing a water cannon on Saturday at a civilian ship in the Second Thomas Shoal that was delivering supplies to Philippine troops. “China’s continued interference with the Philippines’ routine and lawful activities in its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is unacceptable,” it said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila accused the Philippines of “intruding” into Chinese waters, reiterated its claim over the maritime territory, and warned the Philippines on Monday against “playing with fire.” This was Beijing’s second such warning in three months, and it follows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Manila last week, when he reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to defend the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Rescue missions. Nigerian authorities on Sunday rescued 137 schoolchildren who had been kidnapped from the state of Kaduna earlier this month. They were recovered just days before a roughly $690,000 ransom deadline was set to expire, which Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he refused to pay. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, and around 150 people are believed to still be missing.

In Mexico, state officials also celebrated a successful rescue mission over the weekend when authorities found 42 hostages, including 18 children, kidnapped by criminal groups in the state of Sinaloa on Friday. Twenty-four people remain missing. The territory is home to the infamous Sinaloa cartel, though police have not yet confirmed who was behind the kidnappings.

Odds and Ends

If customer service was a little slow in Paris’s cafes last weekend, don’t blame the waitstaff. They might have been participating in France’s annual waiters’ race. Around 200 servers speed-walked a 1.2-mile trek without dropping their platters, each one carrying a croissant, a glass of water, and a cup of coffee. First held in the early 1900s, the waiters’ race returned on Sunday after a 12-year hiatus to promote Paris hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics in July.