Russian President Vladimir Putin has no immediate plans to meet the families of the victims of last week's attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall, an attack that left 143 people dead, the Kremlin said Thursday.
“If contacts are necessary, we will inform you
,” replied the president's spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, when asked by journalists whether Vladimir Putin planned to meet the victims' relatives.
Vladimir Putin admitted on Monday that this attack, the deadliest in the last twenty years in Russia, had been committed by
“radical Islamists”
, but the Russian authorities accused the Ukrainian and Western secret services of having
“facilitated”
it . The attack was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State.
After the attack on the concert hall near Moscow, which took place Friday evening, the Russian president waited until the next day to speak publicly. According to Dmitri Peskov, Vladimir Putin also did not go to the scene so as not to
“interfere with the work”
of the rescuers.
“As for the families and loved ones of the victims, very close work was organized with them by all the services and specialists concerned
(...)
All this was done as quickly as possible. This work continues
,” said Dmitri Peskov.
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin traveled to the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, to visit a historical museum and meet with employees of the culture sector. On Thursday, he must participate in a meeting devoted to tourism.