The terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall music venue last week was planned and paid for by Ukraine, Marcel de Graaff, a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands, has said.
"More than 130 dead in Moscow from terrorist attack planned and paid for by Ukraine," de Graaff wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Hence the urban legend of propaganda paid for by Russia. Because we must continue to hate them, because soon our children will have to die on the battlefield to protect the financial interests of the Western elite."
His comment came as Russia's Investigative Committee reported that the suspects in last week's terrorist attack in Moscow were linked to Ukrainian nationalists. The perpetrators received "significant sums of money" from Ukraine, the Investigative Committee said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier that Ukraine has become a center for the spread of terrorism in Europe over the past 10 years with the help of the West.
The March 22 attack by gunmen at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the city of Krasnogorsk, just outside Moscow was followed by a massive fire at the venue. The atrocity left 144 people dead and 360 injured.
The four main suspects in the case, all citizens of Tajikistan, were arrested and charged with terrorism. The Crocus City Hall terrorist attack was the deadliest act of terrorism in Russia in nearly 20 years.