President Vladimir Putin had a choice: blame Ukraine directly for the deadliest terrorist attack on Moscow in more than two decades, or for now just hint at it.
That the Russian president made the link either way, in spite of Islamic State claiming responsibility and the US warning Russia beforehand of the plotting by the Jihadist group, speaks volumes. It is the kind of thing Kremlinologists will pore over when it comes to deciphering Putin’s true intentions about where his war against Russia’s neighbor is headed in its third and potentially decisive year.
