US says it warned Russia 'in writing' about threat before ISIS concert shooting in Moscow

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. had warned Russia “in writing” about the terrorist attack at the Moscow concert venue that left at least 143 dead, the White House said Thursday.

John Kirby, a White House spokesman on national security, condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for blaming others even after ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack. He said the U.S. warned Russian officials about the terrorism threat in their country two weeks before the massacre.

TOPSHOT – EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A man carries wooden crosses during a funeral ceremony of three children, killed in what local Moscow-installed officials say was a Ukrainian attack, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: 2084801722

Russian officials have “sought to deflect blame onto Ukraine, the United States and everyone else who suits their political narratives,” Kirby said in a call with reporters.

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“It’s abundantly clear that ISIS was solely responsible for the horrific terrorist attack in Moscow last week,” said Kirby. “In fact, United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack, and the Kremlin knows this.”

Ahead of the attack on Mar. 22 at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, Kirby said the U.S. provided “clear, detailed information” about a terrorist threat at large gatherings and concerts in the Russian capital.

He said the first correspondence was made Mar. 7 to Russian security services followed by a public advisory the next day Mar. 8 warning U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings and concerns in Moscow.

Russian news outlet SHOT published a video of an exchange in which a reporter asked Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, whether it was “ISIS (Islamic State) or Ukraine?,” according to Reuters.

“Of course Ukraine,” Patrushev replied. Asked about the remark later, he said there were “many” indications of Ukrainian involvement.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak denied the accusations.

“Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia). It makes no sense whatsoever,” Podolyak wrote on X on Mar. 22.

Meanwhile, Russia, on Mar. 22, launched the largest wave of missiles and Iranian-supplied drones against Ukrainian cities since the start of the war two years ago.

The attack left more than one million homes without electricity. The targets included power plants and energy supply lines, a hydroelectric dam, ordinary residential buildings and “even a trolleybus,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Russia is at war with people’s everyday lives,” wrote Zelenskyy. “My condolences to the loved ones of those killed by this terror.”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US says it warned Russia ‘in writing’ about threat before ISIS concert shooting in Moscow