Lukashenko contradicts Putin, says Moscow terrorists were fleeing to Belarus, not Ukraine

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said the men who allegedly attacked the Crocus music hall in Moscow on Friday were initially headed to Belarus, not Ukraine — contradicting a previous claim by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We placed our units on high alert to prepare for a combat situation,” Lukashenko said at a Tuesday press conference. “As a result they were unable to enter Belarus by any means. Recognizing this, they diverted their course and headed toward the Ukrainian-Russian border.”

The March 22 terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall, a concert venue on the outskirts of the Russian capital, resulted in 139 fatalities. To date Russian law enforcement has apprehended eight suspects, with at least four appearing to have been tortured. The ISIS transnational jihadist group has claimed responsibility.

Six of the suspects are Tajikistani citizens, while two have Russian citizenship. So far no evidence has been produced connecting them to either Belarus or Ukraine, although the chief of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, claimed today to have “primary data that we received from the detainees” allegedly confirming the men were linked to Ukraine.

In a national address following the attack, Putin alleged that Ukraine nationals had prepared an escape route for the terrorists. Russian officials subsequently repeated the claim Ukraine had been involved, also hinting that the UK and the U.S. might have been complicit.

Lukashenko’s account, however, contrasts sharply with Moscow’s narrative. The Belarus leader has promised to contact Putin to discuss the investigation.

“Their orchestrators — we have our suspicions about some of them, and I intend to call Putin to convey my suspicions,” he said.

Denis Leven is hosted at POLITICO under the EU-funded EU4FreeMedia residency program.