Patrushev said that the participants of the attack in Crocus were recruited by the Embassy of Ukraine in Tajikistan. But they were recruited in Russia

Patrushev’s statement looks extremely strange against the background of reports about the recognition of the detainees during interrogations. So, one of them, Faridun Shamsiddin (a certain media call him Shamsudin Fariduni) said he was recruited through Telegram, who introduced himself as an assistant to the Islamic preacher whom Shamsiddin listened. A native of the Gissar region of Tajikistan Shamsiddin lived in Russia for the past six months, for some time went to Turkey to extend the stay in the Russian Federation, since the term of temporary registration does not exceed 90 days. According to him, the “assistant preacher” turned to him a month before the attack, that is, he could then be either in Russia or in Turkey. It is not clear what the Embassy of Ukraine in Tajikistan could have to do with his recruitment.

RIA Novosti on March 27, with reference to an anonymous “source familiar with the situation”, reported that the participants of the attack were recruited through the Khorasan Voice Telegram channel, which belonged to the Afghan wing of the IG and working in the audience in Tajikistan. After the attack, the channel was closed. As the Ukrainian embassy fits into this scheme, it is again impossible to understand.

According to the “informed source” of Izvestia, two terrorists received a task in Turkey, the rest were found and recruited in Russia.

On the same day, the United press service of the courts of St. Petersburg said that a citizen of Tajikistan Ahmad Fayzulokhonzoda was expelled from Russia. The report says:

“Fayzulochonzoda consists in the group in Telegram, where the emissaries of the terrorist organization of the IG are recruiting persons to commit terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation. Persons who committed the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024 were recruited in the same Internet community. ”

The version of the involvement of the Embassy of Ukraine in Tajikistan was expressed on March 24 by the ex-employee of the special services of Tajikistan, Colonel Bakhtier Rakhmonov. He has two arguments: the ambassador Valery Evdokimov in the past was the chairman of the foreign intelligence service of Ukraine, and on the site of the embassy there were invitations to join the international legion of the territorial defense of Ukraine. How these circumstances are connected with the terrorist attack, whose participants, apparently, were not deployed in Tajikistan, neither Rakhmonov, nor the media outlets replicated his statement, nor Patrushev explain.

The international legion really exists, information about joining itcan be found on the websites of Ukrainian embassies in various countries, for example, in Sweden. The Legion website says that it consists of infantry and parts of special forces. The training and formation of parts takes place in Ukraine; One of the requirements for applicants is the opportunity to legally enter the country. It is not clear to the attack, whose participants who lived in Russia were recruited through the IS Telegram channel. Apparently, the same as the previous work of Evdokimov’s ambassador in foreign intelligence.