What To Make of the Deadly Terrorist Attack in Moscow

The worst terrorist attack in Russia in decades exposes vulnerabilities in the country’s security and intelligence services, and while it may have been carried out by Islamist extremist or North Caucasian groups, it opens the door for the Kremlin to blame the attack on Ukraine and the West, and to intensify its domestic crackdown on dissent and expand its war efforts against Ukraine. More than 40 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a mass shooting and bombing attack at a large theater on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22, marking the deadliest terrorist incident Russia has seen since the 2004 Beslan school siege, and the deadliest incident in the capital city has seen since the 2002 Nord Ost theater siege. According to Russian authorities, the attack was conducted by at least four individuals, who burst into the Crocus City Hall -- located some 20 kilometers from...