Recently there was an attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia. Four terrorists walked into the City Hall and killed around 137 people. With the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, this attack was viewed by the Russian government as an attack from Ukraine. Because of this attack, tensions between the warring countries have risen higher. Ukraine is worried that Russia will use this attack to justify invading their land further. 

Even though there was a press release from ISIS-K taking responsibility for the attack, Russia still believes that Ukraine had something to do with the planning of it. Since the four terrorists were caught trying to get to Ukraine the suspicions of who was really behind the attack rose. 

About two weeks before the attack, the U.S. warned Russia that the Crocus City Hall was a possible location for an ISIS-K attack. This warning was not taken seriously by officials in Russia. The event had little to no security, and reports said that it took a little over an hour for authorities to get to the hall. Then another thirty minutes for those authorities to get into the building. By that time the four terrorists were already gone. 

Putin claimed that the U.S.’s warnings were “outright blackmail” and ways to “intimidate and destabilize our society”. Since Russia had this reaction to the warning they did nothing to provide security to the City Hall in Moscow. There was a statement from the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service saying that since the warning from the U.S. was too general they could not do anything to stop the attack. 

The U.S. shares possible terrorist attacks with many countries. It’s a policy called “duty to warn”. It is common for the U.S. to share an approximate location rather than the precise location where the attack could happen to protect their sources.  Doing so could reveal how they got the information, which would result in dangering the people who get the information. 

The attack’s timing is something to look at as well. The terrorists attacked the city hall about one week after the reelection of Vladimir Putin as the president of Russia, furthering the president’s power grip on the country for another six years. 

One thing to consider is how this event will affect the war between Ukraine and Russia. Since Putin made a claim stating that Ukraine had something to do with the attack, will the invasion heighten? Will things get even more tense? Answers may come in the weeks ahead.