Moscow asks Western countries to investigate terrorist attacks on Russia
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has sent official requests and appeals from a group of MPs to the US, Germany, France and Cyprus, demanding that these countries investigate recent terrorist attacks on Russia.
It follows demands from several deputies of the State Duma for an investigation into the possible involvement of foreign persons and organizations in the terrorist attacks, as well as the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has expressed hope that authorities in the four countries would comply with Moscow’s request and “fulfill the obligations assigned to them” under certain international conventions.
These include the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of 1999 and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings of 1997.
The office is demanding that the countries conduct an investigation into information provided and assist in obtaining evidence to facilitate proceedings, as well as ensuring that criminal acts are punished.
In an appendix to the request, the authors have provided what they describe as direct evidence against a number of individuals and organizations believed to be responsible for organizing, financing, perpetrating, and covering up terrorist attacks in Russia.
The deputies behind the move have claimed that the US and its allies have been carrying out terrorist attacks on Russia through the Islamic State terrorist group and Ukrainian intelligence services.
The MPs have demanded that the US, Germany, France and Cyprus immediately launch investigations and take active measures to prevent the financing of international terrorism. They also demand that the political leadership of the US and Ukraine, as well as intelligence services in those countries, be held accountable for carrying out terrorist operations against Russia and other nations.
The appeal by the Prosecutor General’s Office comes after four gunmen went on a shooting spree in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, setting fire to the building, and ultimately killing more than 140 people.
The suspected perpetrators, as well as several of their alleged accomplices, have since been apprehended and placed under arrest. Top Russian security officials have suggested that the US, UK and Ukraine may have been involved in organizing the massacre.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued its investigation into the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Germany. Moscow claims it has evidence to suggest that the US and UK were behind the attack, but has noted that the West is refusing to cooperate in determining the culprits behind the “terrorist act.”
