Support The Moscow Times!

Foreign Ministry: Bomb Possibly Revenge for Russia's Syria Air Strikes

A child's shoe is seen in front of debris from a Russian airliner which crashed at the Hassana area in Arish city, north Egypt, Nov. 1, 2015. Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters

The bomb that brought down the Russian Airbus A321 over Egypt last month, killing all 224 people on board, may have been revenge for Russia's involvement in the anti-Islamic State campaign in Syria, the head of the Foreign Ministry's department of new challenges and threats said.

"It may well have been retribution for our participation in the fight against IS," Ilya Rogachyov was quoted as saying in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper, published Friday.

He added that he considered stepping up Russia's bombing campaign “the only appropriate response” to the attack, describing IS as "a cancer gripping half of Syria and nearly half of Iraq."

"I have no doubt that the terror threat [to Russia] will only become more serious if we don't do anything. Are we supposed to wait until IS fighters knock on our door?" he said.

On Tuesday, Russia's Federal Security Service officially confirmed that a terror act was to blame for the A321 crash. Islamic State, which is banned in Russia as a terrorist organization, has claimed responsibility.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more