Top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, continue to make baseless claims that Ukraine, as well as its Western allies, were involved in a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow last Friday.
The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on Tuesday said that the U.S., U.K. and Ukraine were behind the attack in which 139 people died.
FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov told pro-Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin that the attack was beneficial to Western intelligence services and Ukraine in their bid to destabilize Russia. He did not present evidence to back up his claim.
The Islamic State militant group said it was behind the attack. Ukraine, meanwhile, has repeatedly and vehemently denied any involvement. The White House has said Russian claims of Ukrainian involvement were "Kremlin propaganda." The U.K., U.S. and Ukraine have not commented on Bortnikov's latest claims.
On Monday, President Vladimir Putin conceded that the deadly terrorist attack in Moscow last Friday was carried out by "radical Islamists" but insisted that there was a link to Ukraine, without presenting evidence.