Zelensky: 'Totally predictable' that Putin would take advantage of the attack to blame Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this Saturday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is taking advantage of the attack on Crocus City Hall, on the outskirts of Moscow, to blame Ukraine for the attack.

According to Zelensky, it was "absolutely predictable" that, after 24 hours of silence, Putin was going to link Ukraine to the bloody attack that left at least 133 victims.

"What happened yesterday in Moscow is obvious: Putin and the other scum are just trying to blame it on someone else," Zelensky said after Putin claimed the suspects had fled to Ukraine.

"They always have the same methods," he continued.

Early Saturday, Putin claimed, without evidence, that the four gunmen detained for the attack "were traveling towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border."

But Kyiv strongly denied the Russian accusations.

"That low-life Putin, instead of dealing with his Russian citizens, addressing them, was silent for a day, thinking about how to bring it to Ukraine," Zelensky said. "Everything is absolutely predictable."

For this reason, the Ukrainian president encouraged Russian citizens to rebel against the Kremlin, accusing Putin of not taking responsibility for the attack.

"And if Russians are willing to die quietly in 'crocuses' and not question their special services, Putin will try to exploit more of these situations for personal power. Terrorists must always lose," Zelensky said.

Putin, in his speech, did not mention the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus City Hall, a concert hall in Moscow.

It is the deadliest attack in Russia in almost two decades and the deadliest in Europe claimed by ISIS.