Why Islamic State attacked Russia
And why Russia blames Ukraine Site of the terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, 25 March 2024. Photo: MAXIM SHIPENKOV Russian President Vladimir Putin, an exemplary cynic, may well have allowed the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue to take place so that he could use it to push mass mobilisation, strengthen domestic support for the Ukraine war, and make opposition to his rule even more difficult. Like Islamic State (IS), Putin’s aggression seems to be enduring and expanding.