Kremlin calls French government for tense conversation

“We hope that the French secret services are not behind this,” said Sergei Shoigu, Russian Minister of Defense regarding the March 22 attack in Moscow, claimed by Daesh.

A statement which should not calm relations between the Elysée and the Kremlin. Two weeks after the attack in a concert hall in Moscow, the Russian Minister of Defense spoke this Wednesday, April 3, 2024 after a telephone interview with the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu. Sergei Shoigu said he hoped that “the French secret services” were not involved in the attack claimed by the Islamic State organization.

“The Kiev regime does nothing without the approval of its Western supervisors. We hope that, in this case, the French secret services are not behind this” he explained in the press release from his ministry repeating the call. For its part, Paris affirmed that Sébastien Lecornu had "recalled France's availability for "increased exchanges" with Russia during this telephone interview with his Russian counterpart, in particular in the fight against terrorism after the attack on 22 last March in Russia which caused the death of at least 144 people in a concert hall. The Kremlin then denounced Ukrainian involvement coordinated by the West, while recognizing an attack perpetrated by "radical Islamists".

The Russian ministry once again echoed Emmanuel Macron's recent controversial remarks, believing that sending troops to Ukraine could not "be ruled out". “Sergueï Shoigu indicated that if (these declarations) were made, it would create problems for France itself,” his ministry said.

[Updated April 4, 2024 at 2:21 p.m.] Emmanuel Macron denounced Russia's comments this Thursday, April 4, as "baroque and threatening" after the telephone interview between French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The French president was offended that Vladimir Putin's country suggested that the French secret services could be involved in the attack, even though the call was intended to "send a message of solidarity" and provide Russia “useful information” on the origins and organization of the attack. At the microphone of BFMTV, from the Olympic aquatic center in Saint-Denis, the Head of State declared: "It's ridiculous to say that France could be behind, that the Ukrainians are behind. All of this has no reason meaning and does not correspond to reality. It is a manipulation of information, which is part of the arsenal of war as used today by Russia."