Putin says gunmen in Moscow attack attempted to flee to Ukraine, Zelensky adviser denies claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an address to the nation on Saturday that the gunmen suspected of taking part in the terrorist attack in Moscow were attempting to flee to Ukraine. 

“We faced not just a thoroughly and cynically prepared terror attack, but a well-prepared and organized mass murder of peaceful innocent people,” Putin said during the address, according to The Associated Press.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has denied any involvement. 

"Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia). It makes no sense whatsoever," he wrote on the social media platform, X. 

"First of all, Ukraine has been fighting with the Russian army for more than two years. And everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield. Only by the quantity of weapons and qualitative military decisions," he added. 

Russian authorities say they have arrested 11 people in a deadly plot that ISIS claimed responsibility for. The current death toll stands at 133, according to The Washington Post, with 16 of the 107 hospitalized victims in a grave condition and 44 in a serious condition.

Fires burned at the Crocus City Hall and the complex’s roof partially collapsed hours after gunmen opened fire and unleashed explosives inside the crowded venue. 

Putin said that there is extra security around different parts of Russia as of Saturday.