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- Putin's inner circle isn't buying his claim that Kyiv is connected to the Moscow terror attack, Bloomberg reported.
- Putin continues to say that Ukraine had a role in the attack, which was claimed by ISIS-K.
- He thinks that pushing the theory is beneficial for galvanizing support for his war, per Bloomberg.
Many Kremlin insiders disagree with President Vladimir Putin's claims that Ukraine may be connected to last Friday's terror attack in Moscow, Bloomberg reported.
While Putin and some of his followers continue to publicly push the idea of Ukraine's role in the attack, behind the scenes few people in Moscow's top business and political circles support the theory, insiders told the outlet.
Ukraine has denied any connection to the attack, and no credible evidence has emerged for its involvement.
On Friday, armed attackers stormed the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, opening fire and killing at least 137 people during a rock concert. ISIS-K, a terror group based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility.
Four suspects, who appeared in court on Sunday, were described in Russian state media as coming from Tajikistan.
Addressing the nation the day after the attack, Putin said that Ukraine had provided the attackers with an escape route at its border.
Making no mention of ISIS-K, he said: "They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border," NPR reported.
On Monday, Putin switched to blaming ISIS-K for the attack, but continued to allude to a Ukrainian connection.
"The United States, through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence data, there is supposedly no Kyiv trace in the Moscow terrorist attack," he said, according to CNBC.
But Putin's narrative was undermined even by Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko, a close ally, who said that the suspects had first tried to go to his country.
"There was no chance they could enter Belarus," he said, according to the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. "So they took a turn and headed to the Ukraine-Russia border."
According to Bloomberg, Putin has been confronted with his inner circle's doubts.
Citing a person with knowledge of the situation, the outlet reported that Putin was in a meeting where officials agreed that Ukraine had no connection to the attack.
Even so, Putin was committed to the idea that it would help mobilize support for the war there, the person reportedly said.
Putin loyalists have continued to advance the theory without presenting any evidence.
Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's FSB security service, said on television that he believed Islamist radicals were aided by Western special services, and that "the special services of Ukraine are directly related to this," Reuters reported.
Asked whether ISIS or Ukraine was responsible, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's security council, said it was Ukraine, adding later that there were "many" indications of Kyiv's involvement, per Reuters.
Andrei Soldatov, an expert on the FSB and Russian intelligence, told Bloomberg that Russia's security services "know this was Islamic State, but after Putin's remarks they have no choice but to follow orders and prove that there was Ukrainian or Western involvement."