The Islamic State took credit for the attack on a concert hall that killed over 130 people, but Putin has yet to acknowledge that the group may be behind the attack
“The election demonstrated a seemingly confident victory,” Alexander Kynev, a Russian political scientist, said in a phone interview from Moscow. “And suddenly, against the backdrop of a confident victory, there’s this demonstrative humiliation.”
While many Russian politicians are echoing the Kremlin’s narrative, critics say they suspect foul play and fear that the opposition leader’s demise signals a further rise in repression.