Putin says Moscow concert hall gunmen who killed 133 tried to flee to UKRAINE despite ISIS claiming terror attack

VLADIMIR Putin appeared to hint Russia is seeking to blame UKRAINE for the Moscow massacre that left 133 dead - and vowed vengeance.

Russia is reeling after last night's horrific terrorist attack on a concert hall - the worst to hit the country in 20 years.

The Russian president, 71, addressed the nation and promised his people he would "punish" those responsible for the massacre.

ISIS-K - a brutal splinter cell of the death cult - has claimed responsibility for the savage attack.

At least four gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall venue on the outskirts of Moscow during a rock show by the band Picnic.

They fired a salvo of machine gun shots into crowds of people as they ran for their lives - killing men, women and children.

The building was left with a collapsed roof after the terrorists started an inferno which ripped through the structure, trapping many civilians inside.

Russia claims it has already arrested the four suspected shooters and at least seven others in connection with the attack.

Yet, the Kremlin seems to already churning out unfounded claims and seeking to shift the blame onto Ukraine.

In a televised address to the nation, a furious Putin attempted to suggest the gunmen tried to escape to Ukraine after the "barbaric terrorist attack".

Ukraine has already hit back at this claim - dismissing it as rubbish.

The Russian despot didn't mention ISIS in his speech, sparking accusations from Kyiv that he is falsely trying to link Ukraine to the assault to support for his war in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year.

The Kremlin is known for pumping out waves of disinformation to mislead the public - and there has been a constant storm of bizarre claims and baseless accusations about just about everything since his illegal invasion.

Putin's forces consider themselves masters of information warfare - and often clumsily attempt to sow doubt around major events in a bid to cause chaos.

Ex-UK defence boss Ben Wallace described Putin as man who has "lies dripping from his lips" and who has convinced himself of a "warped" worldview.

Online troll farms, a massive state-run media operation, and more all contribute to a constant stream of uncertainty and fog of war being pumped out from the Kremlin.

Russian state TV have already been caught red-handed using a deep fake of a top Ukrainian official in an attempt to pin the blame on them.

In his speech Putin, declared March 24 a day of national mourning for the victims.

Unblinking and tight-lipped, he said: "I am speaking to you today in connection with the bloody, barbaric terrorist act, the victims of which were dozens of innocent, peaceful people."

He continued: "All four perpetrators of the terrorist act who shot and killed people have been detained.

"They were travelling towards Ukraine ... We will identify and punish everybody who stood behind the terrorists, who prepared the attack."

What we know so far:

• At least 133 dead and more than 120 injured in the terrorist attack in Moscow
• Gunmen armed with automatic weapons & explosives stormed the Crocus City Hall last night at 8pm local time
• Some 6,000 fans were gathered to watch Russian rock band Picnic
• Fires were set in the venue and burned out of control - hampering the rescue mission
• Russia has arrested the four suspected gunmen and has released footage of their interrogations
• A faction of ISIS have claimed responsibility for Russia's worst terror attack in 20 years
• Ukraine has denied anything to do with the massacre
• US and British intelligence warned Russia weeks before about the threat of an 'imminent' attack - but were dismissed

Putin - who provided no evidence for his claim against Ukraine - added that additional security measures would be imposed across Russia.

Kyiv has denied any association with the attack - and blasted the Russian claim the gunmen were "heading for Ukraine" as nonsense.

Andrii Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, said "you don't need to be a security expert" to understand Putin's claims were nonsense.

He pointed to the fact the border between Ukraine and Russia is an active warzone, under intense surveillance from both sides and laced with landmines.

"Understandably, this version does not withstand criticism understood by everyone in the world except perhaps the Russian population, which may be indoctrinated," he said.

It comes as Russia state TV broadcast a deepfake of Ukraine's top security official appearing to brag about Kyiv's role in the terrorist massacre.

The AI-generated video of Oleksiy Danilov is doing the rounds online in an apparent disinformation campaign to sow fury and confusion over who was behind the shooting attack last night.

THE ATTACK

Last night, masked men in camouflage gear wielding automatic weapons stormed the packed Crocus City Hall - opening fire and hurling explosives into a crowd.

Some 6,000 people are believed to have been inside the venue watching Russian rock band Picnic when the bloodshed began.

The gunmen began shooting civilians at point-blank range - through glass doors, turnstiles and then the concert hall itself, traumatised witnesses said.

Devastating footage showed piles of bodies outside the blackened concert venue on the western edge of Moscow on Saturday.

Firefighters and emergency workers are facing the grim task of going through the smouldering ruins to potentially find even more victims.

The bodies of whole families were found with dead mothers embracing their dead children, Russian media reported.

The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are dragged from the rubble in an operation that could last "at least a few more days," Moscow's governor said.

Russia's security service (FSB) launched a massive manhunt to catch those responsible and have now detained 11 suspects, including four it says were "directly" involved in last night's attack.

Two were apprehended after a car chase and two others fled into a forest before being detained - all four have been named and pictured by the FSB.

Russia has been releasing gruesome footage of their interrogations throughout today, including a grisly video of one suspect appearing to be fed his own sliced off ear.

US officials claim they have intelligence to confirm the plot was masterminded by the ISIS splinter cell operating in Afghanistan, known as ISIS -K.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the massacre and even released a picture purporting to show the four suspects posing next to the death cult's flag before they stormed the concert hall.

A spokesman for Kyiv's military spy agency said today that Ukraine was not involved in the shooting attack and any suggestions of a Ukrainian link "have nothing in common with reality".

Ukrainian President Zelensky added this evening that Putin is looking to shift the blame for Friday's massacre.

He said it was "absolutely predictable" that Putin had stayed quiet for 24 hours before breaking his silence to tie the rampage to Kyiv.

Yet, the FSB has continued to allege that the suspects in the terror attack "had ties to Ukraine".

Putin's spooks earlier today suggested the attackers had contacts on the Ukrainian side without providing any evidence for such an allegation.

Zelensky also said the hundreds of thousands of "terrorists" Putin had sent to be killed in the war in Ukraine would "definitely be enough" to stop terrorists at home.

Andriy Yusov, of Ukraine's military intelligence, said: "This is of course another lie from the Russian special services, which has nothing in common with reality and does not stand up against any criticism."

It has also emerged that the Russian leader rubbished warnings from the US and UK about an "imminent" terror attack just three days before.

British and US intelligence services alerted Russia earlier this month of the threat of a terror attack on Moscow - something the Kremlin sought to downplay, describing it as "provocative".

The Russian health ministry today named some of the victims killed in the ISIS massacre.

Former beauty queen Ekaterina Novoselova, 42, was among them, as well as a young couple in their thirties, Pavel and Irina Okishev.

One man who died, 48-year-old Sergei Laptev, was originally from the Russian-occupied region of Luhansk in Ukraine.

And tragically Roman Sokolov, 47, had gone to the concert on his birthday before he was brutally murdered.

Mum-of-one Viktoria Ladeishchikova, 46, was also killed.

'I PRETENDED TO DIE'

Horrifying accounts have emerged in the wake of the shooting attack.

Witnesses described how four armed men walked calmly towards the metal detectors at Crocus City Hall, firing their automatic weapons point-blank in short bursts and terrified civilians fell screaming in a hail of bullets.

Footage showed dozens of bodies, some in pools of blood, lay motionless on the marble floors and at the main entrance.

One survivor, Natalya, said: "The shots came from behind us.

"It was loud, like a firecracker blast, fireworks, but like an automatic burst. I could hear it right behind me, not far away."

Then Natalya ran for her life. "Everyone was screaming; everyone was running."

Another witness said: “We huddled in a corner at the entrance. He [gunman] came up and started shooting directly at people.";

Another woman told how she feigned being shot - which saved her life. 

She said: “They [the terrorists] were standing at the exit, we didn't go there, but they saw us."

“I fell on the floor, and pretended to die. A girl next to me was killed."

Cops last night eventually managed to evacuate over 100 people hiding in the basement of the concert hall.

Some of the attackers had barricaded themselves inside the venue, making rescue efforts difficult as the fire burned.

Explosions were reported at the venue while panicked people were seen fleeing as the gunmen are believed to have taken hostages.

Witnesses told of leaping over fire, some with their clothes melting, to escape the blaze which swiftly spread over an area of 12,900sqm, sending flames and a plume of black smoke billowing into the night sky.

Over 120 people are still in hospital with the conditions of 44 survivors described as "serious".

Over 600 people have turned out to give blood at donation centres across Moscow so far this morning to help the wounded, Russia's health ministry has said.

UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron this morning condemned the deadly terror attack.

He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "We offer our heartfelt condolences and express our deepest sympathy to the families of the many victims. Nothing can ever justify such horrific violence."

The White House has said it stands in "solidarity with the people of Russia".

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: "We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and all affected by this heinous crime.

"We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event."