Putin Hosts Investigative Meeting

Putin held a meeting with the heads of the Government, regions, special services and law enforcement agencies after the terrorist attack. Not everyone in the above photo spoke for the transcript. I suspect more was said beyond the 38-minute video. Putin somewhat contradicts himself as he says the terrorists were “radical Islamists.” IMO, “we know” is incorrect for the reasons Putin himself gives. Take careful note of what he says. Russia’s English language media have already reported on the meeting but omit most of it since it is dry in some respects. But IMO there’s still the drama behind the words spoken and as most read this they probably know the Ukie agencies likely behind this and other terrorist events were attacked by Kinzal, one of Russia’s hypersonic missiles. One pair launched from Crimea took about 4-minutes to reach their targets in Kiev. So, some redemption was made. But as most understand, they are merely pawns. Here’s Putin and his team:

Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues,

First of all, I would like to once again express my deep condolences to the families and friends of those who died as a result of the bloody, barbaric terrorist attack on March 22, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

I thank everyone who saved people and helped the victims in the most difficult conditions. In this difficult time, our society has set an example of genuine solidarity, solidarity, and mutual support.

I know that among those who are now sending words of sympathy to the families of the victims are people of different nationalities, from all regions of our country, of all ages, including children, schoolchildren and students. Those who planned this terrorist attack hoped to sow panic and discord in our society, but they met with unity and determination to resist this evil.

I ask you to report today on the progress of investigative actions and operational search work to identify all those involved in the terrorist attack, its customers and organizers.

Despite our universal pain and sorrow, compassion and a legitimate desire to punish all those responsible for this atrocity, the investigation must be conducted in the highest degree professionally, objectively, and without any political bias.

We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries. But we also see that the United States, through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence, there is allegedly no trace of Kiev in the Moscow terrorist attack, that the bloody terrorist attack was carried out by followers of Islam, members of the ISIS organization banned in Russia.

We know by whose hands this atrocity was committed against Russia and its people. We are interested in who the customer is. In the course of joint work of our special services and law enforcement agencies, we need to get answers to a number of questions.

For example: are radical and even terrorist Islamic organizations really interested in attacking Russia, which today stands for a fair solution to the escalated Middle East conflict? And how do radical Islamists, who position themselves, by the way, as devout Muslims, professing the so-called pure Islam, commit serious atrocities and crimes in the holy month of Ramadan for all Muslims?

These, as well as other more specific, professional questions for an objective investigation of the crime committed in Moscow, will have to be answered. One thing is absolutely clear: the terrible crime committed on March 22 in the Russian capital is an act of intimidation, as I have already said.

And the question immediately arises: who benefits from this? This atrocity can only be a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been fighting with our country at the hands of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime since 2014. And the Nazis, as is well known, never disdained to use the dirtiest and most inhumane means to achieve their goals.

Especially today, when their much-publicized counteroffensive has completely failed. This is already recognized by everyone and is not disputed. The Russian Armed Forces are holding the initiative along the entire line of contact, and all measures taken by the enemy to stabilize the front are not bringing success.

Hence, attempts to enter and gain a foothold in our border territories, shelling, including with the use of multiple launch rocket systems, peaceful neighborhoods, civilian objects, including energy infrastructure, attempts to launch missile strikes on the Crimean Bridge and the peninsula itself.

Bloody acts of intimidation, such as the terrorist attack in Moscow, quite logically fit into this series. The goal, as I have already said, is to sow panic in our society and at the same time show our own population that all is not lost for the Kiev regime.

You just need to follow the orders of your Western curators, fight to the last Ukrainian, execute the command from Washington and pass a new law on mobilization, create something like the Hitler Youth in its new edition, of course. Beat out for this new weapon and additional money, a significant part of which can be stolen and put, as is customary in Ukraine today, in your pocket.

By the way, Ukrainian nationalists back in the 20s of the last century had such an association-the Union of Ukrainian Nationalist Youth, which then became part of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.

Of course, we need to answer the question: why did the terrorists try to leave for Ukraine after committing the crime, and who was waiting for them there? It is clear that those who support the Kiev regime do not want to be accomplices of terror and sponsors of terrorism. But there are really a lot of questions.

Please report regularly on the progress of the investigation.

I would also like to inform you about what measures are being taken at the federal and regional levels to support the families of the dead and wounded, and how the work of medical and social services is organized. I have repeatedly discussed all these issues with my colleagues, but today, as agreed, we will talk about it in more detail.

Please, let's get started. Alexander Ivanovich, please.

A. : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

The Investigative Committee continues its active work on the investigation of the criminal case on the terrorist attack in the concert hall "Crocus City Hall". The investigation established a complete chronology of the events that occurred.

On March 22, at 18: 54, four criminals in a Renault car drove up to the building of the Crocus City Hall concert hall, where they waited for the audience to arrive.

At 19: 58 p.m., terrorists armed with automatic firearms opened fire on visitors who were on the street outside the Crocus City Hall building.

Having penetrated into the lobby of the building, and then into the concert hall, they continued to shoot at all citizens they noticed, regardless of gender and age.

Using gasoline brought with them in plastic bottles, they set fire to the premises and left the building at 8: 11 p.m. Driving a car out of the parking lot, the criminals hit pedestrians at high speed – a family with two young children. The children suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized.

All the attackers were detained in the Bryansk region during the pursuit along the highway leading to the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Two AK-74 assault rifles, more than 500 rounds of ammunition, 28 magazines of ammunition, and bottles with gasoline residues were found and seized at the scene. The investigation of the scene continues with the participation of forensic specialists and experts of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

In addition, more than 200 inspections, searches and seizures were carried out, during which more than 1,000 different objects of significance for the investigation were seized.

During a search of the apartment where the accused lived, in addition to traces of their hands, fragments of cloth and tools that were used in the preparation of the attack were found.

A Makarov pistol without cartridges and a magazine from a Kalashnikov assault rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition were found in the car of the criminals. 90 forensic examinations were scheduled for all seized items, weapons and ammunition: ballistic, genetic, fingerprint.

Four perpetrators of the terrorist attack have been charged and remanded in custody. All the accused admitted their guilt during the interrogation and in court and gave detailed testimony about the circumstances of the crime, about the customers and persons who assisted in the preparation of the terrorist attack.

The investigation also identified and detained three other people who assisted in the preparation of the terrorist attack: provided an apartment for living, a car for traveling, and transported money. A request to remand them in custody was sent to the court in respect of these persons.

Initial results of the investigation indicate that the attack was carefully planned and prepared. As a result of the attack, 139 people were killed. 75 of them have been identified today. Among the dead are three children. Identification of the dead continues.

Of the total number of [dead], 137 people died at the scene of the terrorist attack, two died in medical institutions. 40 people died from gunshot wounds, two people died from a combination of gunshot and stab wounds, and 45 people died as a result of the fire from exposure to high temperature and combustion products. 182 people received injuries and injuries of varying severity.

160 forensic medical and genetic examinations have been scheduled and are being conducted to determine the cause of death and identify the victims. 131 people from among the victims and more than 500 witnesses were questioned. From the testimony of eyewitnesses, it follows that the auditorium caught fire as a result of the actions of the accused, who poured gasoline brought with them on the chairs and walls and committed arson.

In this regard, the investigation checks the possibility of violating the safety requirements and fire extinguishing system in the concert hall "Crocus City Hall". For this purpose, remote controls, electronic components and control devices for the concert hall's fire-fighting system were seized. They are designed to study and extract information about the mode of operation of fire safety systems at the time of the terrorist attack. With the participation of experts, the content of the server of the fire protection system is being studied. To establish the operability and timely operation of all fire safety systems, a fire-technical examination was appointed.

We work closely with the operational units of the Russian Interior Ministry and the Russian Federal Security Service. The necessary investigative actions are being carried out in the case to identify all those involved in the crime, including the customers and organizers of the crime. The case is still being investigated.

The report is finished.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Tatiana Alekseevna, please.

T. : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

Since the terrorist attack, 145 people have been hospitalized in inpatient institutions of medical organizations. The structure of lesions is dominated by gunshot wounds, combined and combined injuries, poisoning by combustion products.

To date, 52 patients have been discharged, who were hospitalized, due to the improvement of their condition, under observation at the place of residence. 93 people, including five children, are undergoing inpatient treatment. Doctors continue to fight for the lives of nine victims, including one child. Their condition is assessed as extremely serious. 29 patients are in serious condition, 30 patients are in moderate condition, and 25 patients: their condition has improved and they are being prepared for discharge.

The most severe patients are currently concentrated in Moscow and federal medical institutions. Outpatient care was provided to 150 patients during this period of time, and this figure is mobile. I think that it will change, as people who were able to go home now go to medical institutions.

Psychiatrists and psychologists from the Serbsky Institute, the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, Moscow, and the Moscow Region, as well as volunteer psychologists are involved in providing assistance to victims and family members.

During the most acute period, at least 50 ambulance teams, emergency medicine services of the Moscow Region, the city of Moscow, and federal medical organizations were simultaneously on the scene of the terrorist attack. In total, 203 emergency medical teams and sanaviation [air ambulance] provided assistance to the victims.

Taking into account the scale of the incident, one and a half thousand beds were deployed almost instantly in medical institutions located in the Moscow Region, the city of Moscow, in federal medical institutions of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Federal Medical and Biological Agency and the Ministry of Defense, including intensive care, surgical and burn beds. And all the teams came to work to provide medical care.

Russian citizens, despite the sufficiency of blood and its components, responded to the disaster with a single impulse and came to the blood donation points to help the victims. I can say that, according to the estimates of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, over two days off, the country's donation centers received 11,822 donors, prepared four,624 liters of whole blood and one thousand 130 liters of plasma. The work of donor points continues even now.

The leadership of Moscow and the Moscow region, in order to provide support to the families of those killed, deceased and injured as a result of a terrorist act, decided to establish lump-sum payments in the amount of three million rubles [~$33,000] for each person who died or died, in the amount of one million rubles-[~$11,000] to those who received or are receiving medical care in inpatient medical institutions, and in the amount of 500 thousand rubles [~$5500] -to those who received medical care outpatient care.

For residents of Moscow and other regions, payments are made by the Government of Moscow, and for residents of the Moscow Region-by the Government of the Moscow Region. Payments have been started, and they will continue as documents are received.

A working group in the Social Fund and an operational headquarters in Rostrud have also been set up to provide assistance to the victims and families of the victims. Today, 22 survivor's pensions have already been awarded proactively, without requesting documents, including 19 insurance and three social ones. Payment of pensions will be made as soon as possible, as soon as we are provided with bank details.

Information and explanatory work has been organized with relatives and friends of the victims on the payment of burial allowances and on the further provision of documents for compensation. Similar work is organized with employers. Work has also been organized on the assignment of payments for compulsory social insurance against accidents at work.

I would like to say, Mr President, that as soon as all the victims and victims are identified, assistance will be provided to their families, and we will keep this issue under constant control.

I also want to say that in the first hours after receiving information about the terrorist attack, volunteers, as well as concerned citizens, joined the work to provide assistance. On March 23, the "We are Together" movement launched a fundraiser for targeted assistance to the families of those killed and injured in the terrorist attack. I report that at the moment the amount of funds raised has reached almost one billion rubles. [~$11,100,000]

11,371 volunteers provide assistance in the places of organization of natural memorials and in the aid center. On the day of national mourning for the victims, March 24, and today, March 25, actions were held in the regions aimed at uniting the country's residents and demonstrating a sense of belonging to the events that took place. In total, 257.5 thousand volunteers took part in the actions, 1.6 million of our citizens took part in these actions.

I would also like to say that Russian businesses have also joined in: more than 42 transport companies, banks, mobile operators, restaurants, large retail outlets and other business sectors have provided the assistance they considered possible.

I want to express my deep gratitude to our medical workers for the help they provide to the affected citizens, to our concerned citizens for showing themselves in this difficult hour, coming to the aid of people in need, proving once again that our country is united and we are together in the face of the most difficult situation.

Thanks

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

We discussed this tragedy from the 22nd to the 23rd late at night, or even early in the morning. But it is clear that we, as well as employees of various emergency services, also understand that everyone should be prepared for any situation. But the fact that passers – by, health workers who are not directly related to the emergency services, and employees of other services are unquestioningly simple, immediately appeared where they should be, helped people-this, of course, demonstrates the maturity of our society and the willingness to defend their interests and fight for themselves, for their loved ones, just for those people who need help and support. This is a very important characteristic of the current state of our society. You're absolutely right.

We'll talk about this later. And now I would like to listen to Sergei Sobyanin.

Please, Sergey Semyonovich.

Sergey Sobyanin : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

I report on medical and social assistance to victims of the terrorist attack.

In total, 44 ambulances were operating from Moscow, and the first car arrived in four minutes: at 20:10, a signal was received, and already at 20: 14, the first car arrived and provided assistance.

All those who applied were promptly provided with outpatient care. 94 people were hospitalized, admitted to 14 hospitals. They are assisted by the best Moscow doctors.

We had a lot of heavy and extremely heavy wounded. 12 people were extremely heavy, and at present we have not lost a single one. Moreover, out of 12 extremely severe patients, almost half of these 12 were transferred to another category – just severe patients. It is hoped that all 12 will survive. Currently, 18 out of 94 people have already been discharged. They continue to work with the rest.

As for social assistance, as Tatyana Alekseevna said, we have established the following procedure in coordination with our colleagues from the Moscow Region and the Government. Moscow pays one-time allowances to both Muscovites and residents of all other regions. The Moscow Region pays out by residents of the Moscow region.

We have already started making real payments: 60 people have received these benefits, lump-sum payments. As applications are received, we immediately resolve these issues.

In addition, all the necessary medical, psychological, and targeted support is provided. For relatives of victims who come to Moscow to identify bodies or search for their loved ones, we provide free hotel accommodation and free meals. We also provide the necessary assistance and support to help them find their loved ones.

The report is over, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: I would like to draw the attention of not only Sergey Semyonovich, not only Andrey Yuryevich, who will now take the floor, but also of all our colleagues from the regions of Russia. Sergey Semyonovich just spoke about those people who come for identification or to meet with their relatives, who, thank God, were not injured or suffered only slightly, in order to take them home.

What I want to say is that it is absolutely necessary to take control of all the people who need support in all the regions of Russia where people came to this event. Because different life situations occur. Some even lost their breadwinner, and so on.

It is necessary to analyze everything that is connected with this terrible crime, and it is necessary to help people, not formally approach it. I ask you very much to look at this matter with a professional, human eye and support those who need this support and help.

Please, Andrey Yuryevich. I ask you to.

A. : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

From the very first moments, I had the opportunity to inform you, report to you, and, most importantly, receive recommendations and support. I would like to thank you and your colleagues, the federal agencies that are participating today, as well as the staff – all this interaction continues to this day. For me, this was very important in order to make all the verified decisions.

Sergey Semyonovich spoke about the role of ambulances, medical institutions, and doctors. I want to add an important key point when aviation started working. The fact is that the " Crocus "is an unbroken chain of buildings and there was a very noticeable danger that the fire could spread to even more serious objects. This-thanks to the work of firefighters and rescuers-was prevented.

From the very first minutes we received support from people, from our volunteers, who were nearby and offered a variety of help.

As for the rescuers, they are still working, as you know, without interruptions, changing. We have strengthened the specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with handymen – people who help to process a large volume of rubble.

I allowed myself to put a diagram of the hall – it is right in front of your eyes. By tomorrow, the search operation will be fully completed, and every square meter of the hall-both the stalls, the balcony, and the floor that is higher-will be dismantled.

We knew right away that people needed information about what had happened, about this terrible tragedy. That's why we opened a direct line and a help center. It is still located in the Defenders of the Fatherland support center, where very well-trained people work. We have strengthened them, realizing that there will be a lot of calls. During this time, we received about two thousand calls. Of course, the main issue is the search for relatives and relatives. Therefore, our colleagues held a personal reception and tried to answer all the questions they were interested in.

Together with Moscow, we understood how important it was to synchronize our actions. As far as payments are concerned, we have accepted a single payment: three million-if our resident died, one million – if he is hospitalized, and 500 [thousand rubles] – [to the person who died]. who received certain injuries and injuries.

I can say that already on Saturday we made the first payments, because the Central Bank employees also came to work and allowed us to make these first transactions.

As Tatyana Alekseevna has already said, I would also like to point out: I reported to you that on that night the Government, represented by Tatyana Alekseevna and the Minister [of Health Mikhail Murashko], visited clinics in the Moscow region, these are three cities: Khimki, Dolgoprudny and Odintsovo.

The most severe [patients], and there were a sufficient number of them, were transported to the Vishnevsky Center of Surgery and other federal institutions as soon as possible. We were able to transport them, which allowed us to save their lives, because the doctors and technologies were the most advanced. We understand that there is a struggle for life. I wanted to thank all the doctors, because in the night they came to their own clinics, understanding what had happened. It was very important for us.

Tatyana Alekseevna spoke about the Russian Red Cross Foundation. All this time, people offered a variety of different types of help. Both businessmen and Russian businesses said that they want to help. I am grateful to the foundation and all the businesses that took part. To date, in addition to the impressive amount that has already been mentioned, 420 thousand transactions of various volumes have passed to these accounts.

We have agreed that we will use these funds jointly, collectively, for the needs of those whose families were affected. You are right when you say that some families – we have some – have lost both parents. We understand, and you have also told me about this, that those who are hospitalized today and those who have died – we must accompany them for an extended period. We will try to do it with dignity.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for their support. The report is finished.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

So, colleagues, who would like to add something, provide some additional information, give ratings?

Please, Igor Viktorovich.

Igor Krasnov : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

The terrorist attack that took place on March 22 has defined for all of us the tasks that need to be solved as a matter of priority and in the near future in order to prevent a repeat of the tragedy and also provide maximum assistance to the victims.

I want to emphasize that from the first hours of the tragedy, all services worked smoothly around the clock and now continue to work. In our work, we paid special attention to the timely blocking of fake and other information that incites interethnic and interfaith conflicts, attempts to sow panic and hatred towards people solely on the basis of nationality.

According to our requirements, information was removed from more than 200 resources, including accounts in the social networks Odnoklassniki, VKontakte and Telegram channels, as well as other sites. In addition to outright fakes, a lot of unverified information appeared, which also destabilized the situation to a certain extent. In this regard, even reputable mass media were noted – we had to refute such published information with recommendations to media representatives to use data only from official sources.

Also among the priority measures are the assessment of the work of the regulatory authorities that carry out inspections of the entire concert complex, including measures of fire and anti-terrorist protection, [assessment] of compliance with the requirements for equipping event security guards in accordance with the number of visitors, evacuation measures, and the speed of response to a call from a private security company. A full assessment has yet to be made, but we can already say that the scale of the terrorist attack turned out to be several times larger and not comparable with the provisions of the legislation on security at such facilities.

Given the significant increase in the level of terrorist threats, the executive authorities of the constituent entities need to update the safety data sheets of objects with a mass presence of people. We will do this in the near future.

As for residence passports, the object's security passport must be updated at least once every three years and, of course, in accordance with the point of the regulatory legal act of the security requirement. Changing threats of a terrorist nature in relation to the place of mass stay of people is one of the reasons for updating this passport. The facility's safety data sheet was approved on December 17, 2018. To date, it has not been updated, and the existing terrorist threats, unfortunately, are not taken into account.

In addition, together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, we will try to adjust the existing calculation methods used for calculations that confirm the safety and evacuation of people in case of fire. These methods do not allow us to consider the scenario of fires in terrorist attacks and similar arson attacks.

Available video recordings of the tragedy indicate that the terrorists attacked through the main escape routes during the fire – people were forced to run in the opposite direction from the attackers and seek shelter in various rooms of the building.

In general, I have given all the necessary instructions to the prosecutor, coordinated the work of law enforcement agencies, and supervised the investigation of the criminal case. Around the clock, we continue to take the full range of measures to help victims and ensure the rule of law.

The report is finished.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

I ask you to work out all the points that you have just outlined in the most careful way. But we will see you and talk soon, and we will return to these issues.

Alexander Vyacheslavovich, do you have any information or comments about your work, or maybe a suggestion to what was said by the Prosecutor General, comments on this?

A. : I'll add it if I can.

The building was equipped with an automatic fire alarm system. At the time of the fire, this system worked in normal mode. There was also a complex of four fire-fighting robotic trunks and a software control system used in conjunction with other fire protection systems. It worked at the time of the terrorist act, but arson [was] with the use of combustion elements. According to experts, the system failed to [extinguish] the fire due to the development of burning in a significant burning area. That's what I wanted to say.

And today, within the framework of the materials that were on the walls that were burning, we were able to completely eliminate the fire only today, at 18: 40. Search and rescue operations are continuing and presumably tomorrow, at 17 hours, will be completed.

The report is finished.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

I would like to thank the employees of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rosgvardiya and the Ministry of Defense, who were instructed to take all measures to apprehend criminals, and this was done by joint efforts, including with the use of units of the Rosgvardiya and the Ministry of Defense.

We will certainly return to all the issues, to all the details of the tragedy that occurred, and discuss all this. As for the reports, as I have already said, I ask you to report regularly on the progress of the investigation.

Thanks [My Emphasis]

Impressive response and direct immediate involvement of many ministers. Public response and support admirable. Interesting security system but was out-of-date at the venue. Immediate support of victims by the state. The orphans will be well cared for. The level of coordinated scamming and other FUD provocations points to the planning depth and breadth of abettors—not a modus of Islamic Jihadists. It must be noted those scammers pointed to ISIS-K immediately. On that note, I invite readers to click this link and enjoy the text by the author of “Columbo Investigates the Crocus City Hall Shooting” whose sequence you see below:

It’s almost as if Putin had seen this and spoke as he did. Plausible, yes?

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