俄羅斯總統普京可能允許伊斯蘭國對莫斯科Crocus City Hall音樂會場進行襲擊，以便利用此事件推動大規模動員，加強國內對烏克蘭戰爭的支持，並使反對他統治的力量更加困難。與伊斯蘭國一樣，普京的侵略行為似乎是持久且擴張的。俄羅斯總統把伊斯蘭國的攻擊歸咎於烏克蘭，聲稱烏克蘭提供支援和庇護給恐怖分子，這或許是為了掩蓋他自己的犯錯。同時，普京可能會將這次事件利用為對烏克蘭的進一步動武提供藉口。
Russian President Vladimir Putin, an exemplary cynic, may well have allowed the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue to take place so that he could use it to push mass mobilisation, strengthen domestic support for the Ukraine war, and make opposition to his rule even more difficult. Like Islamic State (IS), Putin’s aggression seems to be enduring and expanding.