⚡️ Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on condolences and expressions of support received from abroad following the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall

💬 From the first minutes after news of the horrific terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall complex broke, numerous calls, letters, notes, and official messages began to arrive from heads of state and government, heads of foreign countries’ government agencies, international organisations, NGOs, religious associations and concerned citizens. Statements have been released by presidents, ministers, parliamentarians and public figures from various foreign countries.

These statements express profound condolences to the families and friends of the victims and survivors, words of support and solidarity with the Russian people, and a categorical rejection of this terrible crime. Spontaneous memorials are appearing in front of Russian diplomatic missions abroad, where people are bringing flowers and candles.

🇺🇳 At Russia's initiative, the UN Security Council adopted a statement strongly condemning the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack in the Moscow Region. The UN Secretary-General also condemned the terrorist attack "in the strongest possible terms" and expressed his condolences to the people and Government of Russia. In telephone conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the foreign ministers Azerbaijan, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mali and Türkiye expressed their condolences.

Russia has first-hand knowledge of terrorism. Our country faced its manifestations in the most inhuman forms in the 1990s and early 2000s, when it was fighting a terrorist insurgency in the North Caucasus, and hundreds of innocent Russians lost their lives. In September 2001, Russia was the first to respond to the pain of the American people following the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and assisted the international coalition in the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. Since 2015, at the request of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, Russia has been participating in the fight against terrorist groups in that Middle Eastern country.

❗️ Over the past few years, the Kiev regime has been carrying out active and systematic terrorist attacks against Russian citizens: systematic shelling of residential neighbourhoods, including kindergartens, schools and medical institutions, attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, including transport and energy facilities, and assassination attempts against public figures and journalists.

Our country supports all efforts aimed at countering international terrorism and condemns it in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of where terrorist attacks may be committed. Deliberate killing of civilians for any purpose is unacceptable. The fight against this evil must remain the focus of all healthy forces within the international community.

Russian security services and law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident. The perpetrators, organisers and masterminds will be brought to justice, and appropriate legal and political assessments will be provided.

🕯 We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who did not remain indifferent to this tragedy.

🎙 President Vladimir Putin's address following the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall (March 23, 2024)

💬 I am addressing you today in connection with a horrific and savage act of terrorism, which claimed the lives of dozens of peaceful, innocent people – including children, teenagers, and women.

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I express my deepest and most sincere condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones. The entire country, all our people are grieving together with you.

🕯 I declare March 24 a day of national mourning.

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Regarding the investigation of this crime and the results of the operational search action, we can currently say the following. All four perpetrators, who were directly involved in the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, have been found and apprehended.

❗️ They attempted to escape and were heading towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary information, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border.

A total of 11 people have been detained. The Federal Security Service and other law enforcement agencies are working diligently to identify and expose the accomplice base behind these terrorists: those who provided them with transport, planned escape routes from the crime scene, and prepared caches with weapons and ammunition.

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All perpetrators, organisers and masterminds of this crime will face fair and inevitable punishment.

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We understand what the terrorist threat means. In this regard, we rely on cooperation with all states that sincerely share our pain and are ready to really join forces in the fight against a common enemy, international terrorism and all its manifestations.

Terrorists, murderers, those inhumane individuals who have no nationality and cannot have one, face one and the same gloomy prospect – retribution and oblivion.

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☝️ Russia has weathered the most arduous, sometimes unbearable trials more than once, yet it has emerged even stronger. And so it shall be now, as well.

Read in full

📖 The book by the Chairman of the Foundation for the Study of Democracy Maxim Grigoriev 'War Crimes of NATO in the Territory of the Former ' was published in English.

👉 Read in full: War Crimes of NATO in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia

On March 24 ,1999 NATO countries began an aggressive war against Yugoslavia.

The barbaric bombings of civilian infrastructure by the US, French, German, British air forces alone took the lives of over 3.5 thousand persons (including women and children), left ~10 thousand people wounded.

This book contains testimonies of victims and eyewitnesses of NATO war crimes and terrorist acts against civilians, committed in 1999. The facts presented in the book include:

▪️ Shelling of residential areas and killing civilians;
▪️ Shelling of hospitals and ambulances;
▪️ Bombing of industrial facilities to cause environmental damage;
▪️ Destruction of civilian objects;
▪️ Use of cluster and depleted uranium munitions by NATO.

The evidence of crimes presented in the book also contains direct speech and is classified according to the types of crimes under international humanitarian law.

Report and witness accounts were published in a form of a book testify to the numerous NATO war crimes, which under international humanitarian law are classified as crimes against humanity and have no statute of limitations.

🇷🇺🇮🇳📞 On March 24, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had a telephone conversation.

The Indian Foreign Minister:

• Vehemently condemned the inhumane terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, which claimed the lives of more than 130 civilians;

• Reaffirmed India’s resolution to continue fighting terrorism in all its manifestations together with Russia.

• Offered words of support and asked to convey his sympathy to the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

#RussiaIndia

#See4Yourself & #Think4Yourself

🎬 WHY?: Revisiting NATO atrocities in Yugoslavia after 15 yrs - an RT Doc Film.

Synopsis: On the evening of March 24, 1999, several of Yugoslavia's largest cities were subjected to NATO airstrikes. The bombing, which lasted for three months, left hundreds dead and wounded and thousands of damaged lives. Many are still haunted by that nightmare.

RT correspondents - a Serb and an American - travel across the former Yugoslavia to explore the human cost of NATO's 1999 military campaign against Belgrade and the media onslaught against the Milosevic regime. Anissa Naouai and Jelena Milincic discover the very different ways the war was portrayed in the US and Serbia; and meet the people still traumatized by the 3-month bombing.

👉 Watch the full film by RT Documentary

#Announcement

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will hold a briefing on current foreign policy issues at approximately 13:00 MSK (10:00 am GMT) on March 27.

Accreditation is open until 11 am on March 26.

State Department as regards the Kiev's regime role in the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack: There was no Ukrainian involvement, period.

💬 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: «no involvement, period» is a new form of the «evidence base» [in the West] that replaced «highly likely».