"The attack in Moscow reminded me of the theater raid in 2002!"

Commenting on the attack on the concert hall in Moscow, Deputy Director of the Center for Strategic Studies (ÜSSAM) Dr. Güler Kalay expressed that "The concert attack in Moscow reminded me of the theater raid in 2002. It is as if someone wants to take Russia back to those years.”

Dr. Güler Kalay: "This terrorist attack may have been a provocation attack disguised as Islamic radicalism."

Üsküdar University Center for Strategic Studies (ÜSSAM) Deputy Director Dr. Güler Kalay evaluated the attack on a concert hall in Moscow, in which dozens of people lost their lives.

"It is as if someone wants to take Russia back to those years"

Dr. Güler Kalay expressed that "The concert attack in Moscow reminded me of the theater raid in 2002. It is as if someone wants to take Russia back to those years. Bureaucrat Sergei Miranov, a member of the Russian State Duma, said, ‘We need to take precautions in schools, kindergartens, hospitals and places where there are a lot of people’ is actually a reference to similar incidents in the past. In the collective memory of Russian society about the recent past, such terrorist acts are quite vivid. Not only the theater raid, but also the 2004 Beslan School raid is one of the pains that this latest terrorist incident evokes in the memory."

"It could be a provocation attack"

Commenting on the statements of eyewitnesses that the attackers were in the guise of jihadists and the fact that ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, Dr. Güler Kalay stated that "However, the 2024 Krokus terrorist attack may be a provocation attack disguised as Islamic radicalism considering that there is no serious ISIS threat today, unlike twenty years ago. Moreover, it is known that Russia does not have any problems with the Muslim geography today."

"There is a high probability that the main issue is connected with the conflict with Ukraine"

Drawing attention to the questions of who or who wants to provoke Russia in this situation or who will benefit from the destabilization of Russia, Dr. Güler Kalay continued her remarks as follows:

"First of all, there is a good chance that Putin will become president again based on the results of the March 15 elections, and that the attacks may have a tendency to discredit Putin's government, and that the main issue is related to the conflict with Ukraine. The West's hand is no longer as generous in terms of financial support and military ammunition that Ukraine needs compared to last year. The destabilisation of Russia could lead to a reassessment of Ukraine's requests for help."

"The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Washington to share all the information they have"

On the other hand, pointing out that Russia may directly consider Ukraine as responsible for this incident and retaliate with a hasty decision, Dr. Güler Kalay stated that "In such a scenario, Ukraine's requests for help can be re-evaluated with the role of the victim. Ukraine has been more proactive in its war with Russia in recent days and is known to have carried out direct attacks on Russian territory. This is now trying to show that Ukraine can hit Russia by using all the tools at its disposal in the war it is losing. After the White House stated that they did not have any information about Ukraine's involvement in the attack, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Zakharov called on Washington to share all the information they have."

Will the attacks weaken Putin's power?

Political Psychology Specialist Dr. Güler Kalay said that "I do not think that the attack will weaken Putin's power, such terrorist attacks increase the reaction against foreigners rather than criticism of the government in Russian society," and Dr. Kaly explained that there were many terrorist incidents during Putin's presidency and that the trust in Putin in the society did not decrease every time, on the contrary, it increased.

"The Kremlin will not act without in-depth intelligence"

Dr. Güler Kalay concluded her words as follows:

"It is not likely that the Kremlin will turn its attention to the Ukrainian authorities and launch a sudden and unplanned retaliation. Just as in the case of the assassination of Dugin's daughter or the attacks that followed, the Kremlin will not act without in-depth intelligence. The Russians' well-known composure and calmness in the face of such incidents usually led to a greater counterattack later. Regarding this incident, it can be predicted that Moscow will introduce deep intelligence and stricter security measures to prevent the traumas of the past from reliving. Especially against foreigners."

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)