Mr. Kirby said the US was gathering information about the incident and said there was no sign that the Ukrainian government or Ukrainian citizens were involved in the terrorist attack.
On March 7, the US Embassy in Russia warned of the risk of extreme attacks in Moscow and advised US citizens not to gather in crowded places. However, Mr. Kirby affirmed that Washington did not know in advance about the attack at the theater in Krasnogorsk, adding that the warning on March 3 was not related to the incident.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Kiev had "no involvement" in the attack. “We have a full-scale, all-out conflict with the Russian regular army and the Russian Federation. However, everything will be decided on the battlefield,” he said.
The Crocus City Hall theater on the outskirts of Moscow caught fire after a shooting on March 22. Image: AFP
The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the "cowardly and cruel" attack. "Members of the Security Council emphasized the need to hold the perpetrators, those who organized, financed and supported the terrorist incident responsible and brought to justice," the agency announced.
Cuba, Venezuela, Germany, France and Italy also strongly criticized the attack and expressed condolences to the victims. “The images of attacks on innocent people are horrifying. Relevant information must be clarified quickly. We would like to send our deepest condolences to the families of the victims," the German Foreign Ministry issued a statement.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the international community "has an obligation to condemn this terrible crime", adding that Russian authorities are focusing their efforts on saving lives. She expressed dissatisfaction with the US statement, when Washington said that Ukraine was not involved in the incident.
“There is a big question: on what basis does the US come to the conclusion that someone was not involved in the tragedy while it was happening,” Ms. Zakharova said. “If the US and any other country has reliable information about the incident, they should provide it to Russia immediately. If there is not, the White House or anyone else has no right to give an opinion."
On the evening of March 22, a group of gunmen dressed in camouflage opened fire on the crowd attending a Picnic band event at the Crocus City Hall theater in Krasnogorsk, a city adjacent to the west of the Russian capital Moscow.
Witnesses at the scene said that gunmen entered from the main lobby of the building and shot many people at close range. The group of suspects also threw gasoline bottles, causing a fire in part of the building before fleeing in a white car. The fire that broke out at the theater has been controlled.
The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the incident.
The Russian Investigative Committee said more than 60 people were killed and 145 injured, including many children. This is one of the terrorist attacks that caused the heaviest casualties in Russia in decades.
Pham Giang (Follow AFP, Reuters)
