(NewsNation) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to blame Ukraine for the deadly terrorist attack in suburban Moscow that killed more than 130 people, even after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” to discuss the latest developments, saying Putin is trying to shift the blame away from himself.
“He’s clearly failed. His security services are more focused on suppressing dissent in Russia and also pursuing this horrible aggression against the Ukrainians. And they should be trying to protect Russian citizens. So he’s trying to deflect the blame,” Taylor said.
“He has made his case for himself in this election that he provides security. Well, he didn’t provide security, in spite of the fact he was told this was coming,” Taylor added.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow had warned that an attack could be coming on March 7, saying it was monitoring reports that extremists had “imminent plans to target large gatherings.”
Putin denounced the warning as an attempt to scare Russians.
Taylor says that since Russia has a state-run media, citizens likely don’t know about the U.S. warning, which was issued just two weeks before the attack.
“The Russian people undoubtedly do not know that the American government tried to warn the Russians and others about this impending disaster,” he explained.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that U.S. agencies said that IS-K, a Central Asian affiliate of the Islamic State group, was responsible for the attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that IS-K has long targeted Russia.
Russia’s FSB, the Federal Security Service, said that it disrupted an attack by the same group that was aimed at a Moscow synagogue just a few weeks ago.
“They should be defending themselves against that. But they are focused on Ukraine. They are focused on trying to dominate, take over Ukraine, wipe Ukraine off, and so they are vulnerable to another attack,” Taylor said.