When Vladimir Putin finally spoke about the worst terrorist attack to hit Russia in 20 years, he swept over the glaring failure of his security state to prevent the assault, which left at least 133 dead, despite a clear warning from the United States on March 7 that a strike on a concert hall could be imminent.
Putin instead used his five-minute televised address on Saturday to emphasize that the four direct perpetrators were 'moving toward Ukraine' when they were detained and that 'a window was prepared for them from the Ukrainian side to cross the state border.' He did not directly accuse Ukraine, which has denied any involvement, but a reference to 'Nazis' - his usual label for the Ukrainian government - made clear that he was blaming Kyiv.
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