Op-ed: 

What Happened In Moscow...A Different Perspective 

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The Op-ed posted here is this authors opinion alone,and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google.

“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings including in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.” - U.S. embassy public advisory alert sent out this past March 7th warning American citizens in Russia to “avoid large gatherings,” due to intel regarding “imminent plans” for an attack by “extremists.” This alert was also sent to Russian authorities as per our “duty to warn” policy even though Russia already had intel of it's own to that effect.

And so the twists and turns in the deadliest terrorist attack in Russia in over 20 years is, as expected, channeling the usual heading known as the “blame game” with Putin first claiming ISIS terrorists were the perpetrators of the attack than switching his story to blame Ukraine instead. And not surprisingly, with Putin's main concern always being to hold onto his iron grip of power, he's now even lobbing accusations against we who tried to warn him of what was expected to come...which sadly it did.

So while our intelligence is, at least for now, going with Putin's ISIS story line...Putin continues to state that he's putting additional countrywide...too little, too late... “security measures” in place. And this comes after his having issued a statement that the four perpetrators of the concert attack have been found and are being detained by the Basmanny district court where they face a maximum sentence of life in prison...and isn't it odd that they're not facing a death sentence. But then again this comes from the man who then tried to switch the narrative by saying that, “They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them from the Ukrainian side to cross the state border.”

No Vladimir, I don't think so.

And while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has rightfully denied both his and Ukraine's involvement in the concert attack...what I believe was a well planned internal massacre masquerading as a terrorist attack...now sees upwards of 140 people having been killed and countless others wounded...the blame in Russian intelligence eyes, at least for public consumption, remains with the “Islamic State Khorasan” or “ISIS-K” as it's more commonly known. So why this focus...because the “Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia” remains, as per Putin, working to identify what they call the “entirety of this terrorist group's support base.” Simply, why would Putin keep the focus thereif he really wants people to believe that Ukraine (or even the U.S.) was involved. In my opinion Putin would not unless this murder of innocents was all pre-planned to either “divert and deflect” the truth away from him via a cover-up so vile that it could change the entirety of not only the Russia v. Ukraine War, but of his regime and Mother Russia herself.

But, before I get into specifics regarding Vladimir Putin, know that “ISIS-K” is the very same terrorist group that murdered 13 American service members at “Abbey Gate” in Kabul during the Biden initiated 2021 U.S. military pullout from Afghanistan. You know the pullout I speak of where Biden not only left a number of Americans behind, but also some of our allies, our Afghan helpers and their families, as well as millions of dollars of key U.S. military equipment behind as well...equipment now in the hands of the Taliban...equipment now being used against the Afghan people themselves and others when need be. So why would “ISIS-K”  now suddenly choose to cause havoc in Russia knowing that her leader is more aligned with known terrorist countries...think Iran, North Korea, etc...than he is with the West. Simply I do not believe that “ISIS-K” was the perpetrator of the Moscow concert attack especially when their stated enemies are the Taliban and the West.

And while what I just stated regarding “ISIS-K” is still something to keep in the back of one's mind as terrorists, at times, need no reason to do what they do...so too is the fact that Putin himself knew in advance of a possible “imminent attack” yet he willingly chose not to add additional security but to pull security away from the “Crocus City Hall”...one of Russia's largest suburban concert halls...a concert hall belonging to a group of companies owned by the Azerbaijani-Russian construction tycoon and billionaire oligarch Aras Agalarov (who happens to own a home/property here in South Florida and is friends with Donald Trump), thus leaving the venue with but minimum security at best. And if that name sounds familiar it's because back in 2016 Agalarov “allegedly” offered Trump’s team supposedly “damaging information” from the Kremlin about Hillary Clinton which led Trump Jr. to hold a meeting at their Manhattan offices, which in turn was the beginning of the Trump witch hunt. An interesting side note if nothing else.

And so the scheduled performers the night of the attack were the Russian “heritage” rock group “Piknik” (“Picnic” in western-vernacular)...a group inspired by western “progressive rock” bands but with a classic Russian twist, and who for this concert were to be accompanied by a symphony orchestra. And “Piknik” was set to play the first of two sold-out concerts when four gunmen in combat gear first opened fire by shooting concert attendees at point blank range while at the same time setting off numerous smoke bombs. Now here is where it gets not only a bit interesting but possibly why I believe this particular concert was targeted, and it falls in line with why I also believe that Vladimir Putin had if not a direct hand in the attack itself, he at least had a hand in covering up the attack's truth.

First some background info on the Russian band “Piknik.” The band's lead vocalist and guitar front man Edmund Shklyarsky, is of the Catholic faith...as opposed to the predominate and Putin favored Russian Orthodox faith... and is not a current “booster,” as he calls it, of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine even though, at first, he supported Putin's “Special Operation” into Ukraine. Also know that Ukrainian authorities had previously banned “Piknik” from performing in the country because the group had played a number of concerts in Russian occupied Crimea including in Sevastopol, and who later released the song “To the Memory of Innocent Victims”...a song about those who were politically oppressed under communism. A quite surprising side note for a man who actually received a degree from Leningrad Polytechnic in the construction of nuclear power plants I'd say.

And the reason I bring up Edmund Shklyarsky's Catholic faith is twofold. First, recently deceased Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who vocally condemned Vladimir Putin and who died in an Arctic prison under mysterious circumstances...was for many Russians not only still running “posthumously” to replace Putin as president, but Navalny was also of the Catholic faith. And second, the Catholic faith is now growing in number amongst young people in Russia, and it's young people who, like young people almost everywhere else, that do make up the bulk of Russia's concert goers.

Could the gathering that night of what was thousands of predominately young people... those most likely to oppose Putin at the ballot box...have been the actual planned target of the attack all along...an attack as payback for Putin's 12% loss in votes...a loss to one demanding 100% loyalty...a loss happening even in a “rigged election.” Something to at least think about as nothing is beyond the whelm of the former head of the KGB, the man now calling himself president instead of what he actually is...a bonafide dictator. 

Remember, dictators need absolute power in order to help perpetrate ongoing fear which in turn helps keeps the masses in line, and hence themselves in sole control. And in Putin's Russia there's no place for freedom itself nor even for the entertaining of free thoughts for his is a regime that demands absolute control over one's everyday lives and thoughts...no variations from the accepted norm allowed...ever.

And what better way to keep fear ongoing than to allow a pre-planed attack of violence to take place against those most likely to be perceived as a threat to the regime in power. And what better way to mask it than with Putin's pretty words said...words to the affect that, and I quote,“Those who provided them with transport, planned escape routes from the crime scene, prepared caches, caches of weapons and ammunition... means it's obvious that we are faced not just with a carefully and cynically planned terrorist attack, but with the organized mass murder of peaceful, defenseless people. The criminals were cold-blooded and purposefully going to kill, shoot our citizens at point-blank range — our children.” So said Vladimir Putin in his very own words.

And Vladimir Putin is the very man I believe not only knew that the attack on the concert hall was going to take place and when, he might even have helped in the planning of it courtesy of not only his deliberately pulling security out of the venue instead of his increasing it, but because his above stated words themselves, in my opinion, give it away. How so? Because how else would Putin have known that the victims were going to be shot dead at “point-blank range” instead of randomly being fired upon as is the usual case in mass shootings...how else indeed. Remember, some of the victims were followed into what they thought was the safety of the bathrooms, were picked out and shot dead at “point-blank range” while others were simply ignored. Sounds to me like some were selectively targeted to be killed.

Simply, why would a man as vile and ruthless as Vladimir Putin stop something whose aftermath would surely see a rise in the Russian people's collective fear, the very thing needed to help keep him in power, while at the the same time allowing Putin to place blame on the very enemies he is at war with...as in outwardly Ukraine and in the shadows the U.S.? Why indeed?

 

Remember, ever since the “Iron Curtain” went down there has been an influx of Russian nationals into the U.S. and they are some of the biggest boosters of both capitalism and freedom. And with many still having family in Russia they are able to tell them the truth about a regime trying to hide the fact that Russia is a dictatorship where freedom is not allowed and where the west is continuously lied about. And Putin knows this to be truth, and truth is what all good dictators fear the most of being exposed. Expose the truth and in time the aforementioned dissatisfied 12% grows to 20%, then 50%, and more leading to a possible second “Russian Revolution”...that is if Putin's own war weary military doesn't get to him first.

So while Vladimir Putin continues spewing that “ISIS-K” and/or either Ukraine or the U.S. is to blame for the attack, I think the U.S./Ukraine scenario can safely be put to rest for neither have anything to gain from being party to such an attack. Nor do I think ISIS itself...nor any of its sub-groups...had anything to do with this attack even though ISIS and its offshoots are always the first to take credit for attacks they actually didn't do, after all publicity is everything even in terrorist circles...nor do I think that any Russian “splinter groups” had anything to do with it either. And why...because the fact remains that Putin's hold on power is indeed slipping and what better way to regain what is lost than to create an act so vile that it installs in the masses a fear of things getting even worse if he, a man of war who rules with an iron fist, were to lose power.

Just something to think about...and with that case closed.

 Copyright © 2024 / Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, A Bridge Way Too Far.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                             

 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26th, from 7-8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'What Happened In Moscow...A Different Perspective'; 'A Bridge Way Too Far'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50 pm EST with show beginning at 7pm EST.