Kyiv, meanwhile, strongly denied any involvement in Friday’s attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, which the Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for in a statement posted on social media channels linked to the group. Kyiv accused Putin and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault in order to stoke fervour in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year. Russian agencies appeared to suggest the attack was linked to Ukraine even though the IS claimed responsibility. A US Intelligence official told ‘The AP’ that US agencies had confirmed that that group was responsible for the attack. The four suspects were stopped in Bryansk region of western Russia, “not far from the border with Ukraine”, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.