The head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexandr Bórtnikov, today accused Ukraine of having participated “directly” and the West of being involved in the terrorist attack committed on Friday against a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, which was claimed by the Islamic State.

“We believe that the act was prepared by radical Islamists and, naturally, the Western secret services contributed to it,” Bórtnikov told local agencies, who added that the intelligence services of Ukraine had a “direct relationship” with the attack.

While he admitted that Moscow has not yet been able to establish for sure the identity of those who commissioned the attack, he pointed out that “we broadly believe that they are involved in it,” when answering a question about Kiev’s responsibility.

The head of the FSB also pointed out that “the Ukrainian side participated in the instruction and training of fighters in the Middle East.”

“The bandits intended to escape through the border. Right to the territory of Ukraine. According to our preliminary operational data, they were waiting for them there (…) And I tell them a secret: on the other side they wanted to receive them as heroes,” he said.

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Bortnikov advocated declaring the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) a “terrorist organization” and considered the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kirilo Budanov, a “legitimate objective.”

The head of Russian security admitted that the United States warned them about a possible terrorist attack in Moscow, but added that he would have liked the information to be “more specific.”

He recalled that the same thing happened in 2017, when a suicide bombing killed 16 people on the St. Petersburg subway.

The head of the FSB made these statements after Putin suggested on Monday the existence of a black Ukrainian hand in the attack, despite the fact that the attack was immediately claimed by the Islamic State.

Both the United States and the European Union have urged the Kremlin to rule out as a hypothesis the participation of Ukraine in Friday’s terrorist attack.

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Meanwhile, the Basmanni Court in Moscow today decreed two-month pretrial detention for an eighth suspect involved in the terrorist attack.

This is Alisher Kasimov, 32, a Russian citizen of Kyrgysy origin who, according to the investigation, rented his apartment to the alleged perpetrators of the massacre.

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia does not need Western help to investigate the attack, due to its “double standards”

“I’m sure we can take care of this investigation,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Namibian counterpart, Peya Mushelenga.

The head of Russian diplomacy added that if he accepts Western aid, it would “clearly contain double standards” in order to “promote” a version that suits the West.

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For Lavrov, that version consists of the fact that Ukraine “has nothing to do” with the terrorist attack, which left at least 139 dead and more than 180 injured.

In total, Russian security forces have arrested eleven people linked to the attack, claimed by the Islamic State, four of whom personally participated in the massacre.

On Tuesday, other senior Russian officials also spoke of the involvement of Kiev and Western countries in the tragedy, although they admitted that investigators have not yet established all those responsible for the crime.