Moscow shooting a ‘deliberate provocation by Putin’s special services,’ says Ukraine’s military intelligence

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has said a deadly shooting on a concert hall in Moscow on March 22 is a "deliberate provocation by Putin's special services." The attack – ongoing at the time of writing – saw several gunmen opening fire at the Crocus City Hall ahead of a concert. "This is a deliberate provocation by Putin's special services, about which the international community warned," Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson of Ukraine's military Intelligence, told Ukrainska Pravda. In a post on its Telegram channel, HUR claimed the shooting is intended to justify "even tougher" attacks on Ukraine and total mobilization in Russia. "The public execution of people in Moscow should be understood as Putin's threat of an even greater escalation and expansion of the war," HUR wrote.