Putin claims Moscow concert hall gunmen tried to escape to UKRAINE as he vows to ‘punish’ terrorists behind massacre

VLADIMIR Putin has spoken out for the first time since Russia was rocked by a massacre at a concert in Moscow last night that left at least 143 dead and 121 wounded.

The Russian leader, 71, called it a "barbaric terrorist attack" and suggested Ukraine was involved, vowing to punish the perpetrators.

Vladimir Putin addressed the nation at midday

Footage showed masked gunmen - that the US states are from ISIS-K - storming the venue last night

A huge blaze broke out over the Crocus City Hall in Russia after the gunmen set fire to the building with people trapped inside

In a televised address to the nation, a furious Putin said all those involved in the attack at Crocus City Hall would be found and punished.

Unblinking and tight-lipped, he said: "I am speaking to you today in connection with the bloody, barbaric terrorist act, the victims of which were dozens of innocent, peaceful people. ... I declare 24 March a day of national mourning."

He continued: "All four perpetrators of the terrorist act who shot and killed people have been detained.

"They were travelling towards Ukraine ... We will identify and punish everybody who stood behind the terrorists, who prepared the attack."

Putin added that additional security measures would be imposed across Russia.

Last night, masked men in camouflage gear wielding automatic weapons stormed the packed Crocus City Hall - opening fire and hurling explosives into a crowd.

Some 6,000 people are believed to have been inside the venue watching Russian rock band Picnic when the bloodshed began.

The gunmen began shooting civilians at point-blank range - through glass doors, turnstiles and then the concert hall itself, traumatised witnesses said.

Devastating footage showed piles of bodies outside the blackened concert venue on the western edge of Moscow.

Three children were killed in the attack and four more are in hospital.

Firefighters and emergency workers are now facing the grim task of going through the smouldering ruins to potentially find even more victims.

The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are dragged from the rubble in an operation that could least "at least a few more days", Moscow's governor said.

Russia's security service (FSB) launched a massive manhunt to catch those responsible and have now detained 11 suspects, including four it says were "directly" involved in last night's attack.

Two were apprehended after a car chase and two others fled into a forest before being detained - all four have been named and pictured by the FSB.

US officials claim they have intelligence to confirm the plot was masterminded by the ISIS splinter cell operating in Afghanistan, known as ISIS -K.

The Islamic State have since claimed responsibility for the massacre, writing in a statement: "IS fighters attacked a large gathering" before they had "retreated to their bases safely".

What we know so far:

At least 143 dead and more than 121 injured in the terrorist attack in Moscow
Gunmen armed with automatic weapons & explosives stormed the Crocus City Hall last night at 8pm local time
Some 6,000 fans were gathered to watch Russian rock band Picnic
Fires were set in the venue and burned out of control - hampering the rescue mission
Russia has arrested the four suspected gunmen
A faction of ISIS have claimed responsibility for Russia's worst terror attack in 20 years
Ukraine has denied anything to do with the massacre
US and British intelligence warned Russia weeks before about the threat of an 'imminent' attack - but were dismissed

A spokesman for Kyiv's military spy agency said today that Ukraine was not involved in the shooting attack and any suggestions of a Ukrainian link "have nothing in common with reality".

The FSB have claimed the suspected gunmen were heading towards Russia's border with Ukraine when they were arrested.

Putin's spooks also suggested the attackers had contacts on the Ukrainian side - but there is no current evidence to back up such an allegation.

Andriy Yusov, of the Defence Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence, said: "This is of course another lie from the Russian special services, which has nothing in common with reality and does not stand up against any criticism."

However, it has emerged that the despot rubbished warnings from the US and UK about an "imminent" terror attack just three days before.

British and US intelligence services warned the Kremlin at the start of this month of the threat of a terror attack on Moscow - something the Kremlin sought to downplay, describing it as "provocative".