Putin: Russia’s Tip On Boston Bombing Suspect Didn’t Have ‘Operative Significance’
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Putin addressed the bombing during a Direct Line broadcast where he spent nearly five hours taking questions submitted from Russians in the audience, via email, telephone hotline, and text message. He has participated in the Direct Line program almost each year since 2001.
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I want to appeal to Russian and American citizens, and to all the people who follow these international events, and to say: Russia is itself a victim of international terrorism, one of the earliest victims, said Putin. I have always felt outraged when our Western partners, as well as your colleagues from the Western media, referred to our terrorists who committed brutal, bloody, appalling crimes on the territory of our country, as insurgents. They were hardly ever referred to as terrorists. They provided assistance to them, information support, financial and political support-sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly.
While we always said that they shouldnt make empty declarations that terrorism is a common threat, but make real efforts and cooperate with each other more closely. But now these two criminals have provided the best possible proof that we were right.
Putin went on to claim that the fact men of Chechen ancestry allegedly attacked America, which is not directly involved in the Caucasus conflict, proves Russias enemies in Chechnya are simply extremists rather than being motivated by a legitimate ideology.
Does it have to do with the United States? What did they do to deserve this? Putin asked. Its not about nationality or religion, as we have told them a thousand times - what is at issue here is extremism.
Putin also addressed the handling of Dzokhar Tsarnaev, who was captured and is in police custody. Though some politicians here have suggested he be treated as an enemy combatant, Putin described treating the suspect as a prisoner of war as complete nonsense.
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