MOSCOW: Nobody will be able to create divisions within Russia’s multinational society, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow.

“No one will be able to sow the poisonous seeds of discord, panic and feud in our multinational society,“ Putin said in his address to the nation, reported Sputnik

Russia knows “what the threat of terrorism is,“ the president added.

“We count here on cooperation with all nations that sincerely share our pain and are ready to really join forces in the fight against the common enemy — international terrorism — in all its manifestations,“ Putin said.

Those who attacked the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow tried to escape to Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a “window” was prepared for them to cross the border, Putin said.

“Currently, we can say the following: all four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, have been found and detained. They tried to escape and were moving toward Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared on the Ukrainian side for them to cross the state border,“ Putin said in his address, confirming that 11 people connected to the attack had been apprehended in total.

Additional anti-terrorism and anti-sabotage measures were introduced across Russia, the president added.

“In Moscow and the Moscow Region, in all regions of the country, additional anti-terrorism and anti-sabotage measures have been introduced. The key now is to prevent those who are behind this bloody massacre from committing a new crime,“ Putin said.

Putin expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the deadly terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall, in his address.

“[I] express deep, sincere condolences to everyone who have lost their relatives and loved ones. The whole country mourns together with you, the entire nation,“ the president said in the speech, calling the tragedy in the Crocus City Hall a “bloody and barbaric terrorist attack” that claimed lives of dozens of innocent civilians.

Putin expressed gratitude to all the ambulance crews, firefighters and rescuers, who did their best to save people’s lives during and after the terrorist attack. - Bernama, Sputnik