President Putin admits that the attack was committed by radical Islamists, but implies Ukrainian interference.
Putin criticizes the US for suggesting ISIS carried out the attack, doubting that Islamists would act during Ramadan or against Russia.
The Kremlin, upon apprehending the alleged individuals involved, continues to divert attention towards Ukraine, despite Kyiv denying any involvement.
Putin downplayed and dismissed warnings of a potential attack provided by the US and British embassies.
The article suggests that accepting ISIS's authorship would mean acknowledging a fault in Russia's security services.
The potential threat of Central Asian terrorism had become a blind spot for Putin's regime.
An increase in internal repression is expected as Putin tries to absolve any implication in the attack.
Conclusion: The text suggests that Putin is using the tragedy to deflect from internal failures, framing it as an external attack, specifically from Ukraine, rather than admitting any weakness of his own.