There are Russian citizens among the victims of the terrorist attack in the capital of Mali, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reported today. "On November 20, immediately after receiving information about the terrorist attack in Mali, the Russian embassy connected to this situation, and on the morning of November 21 we can confirm that there were Russian citizens among the victims," she said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of six Russian citizens during the hostage-taking at the Radisson Hotel in center of the capital of Mali. They turned out to be employees of the airline 'Volga-Dnepr'. Six Russians were saved during the storming of the hotel captured by terrorists.
"Moscow strongly condemns the hostage-taking in Bamako: this is an inhuman crime aimed at destabilizing the situation in Mali," RIA Novosti cited the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
It is expected that the Russians who were freed from the terrorists in Mali will return home tomorrow, they are now waiting for a plane from Russia.
Just as some regional experts predicted, the radical Islamist group 'Al-Murabitun', based in Mali, has claimed responsibility for attacking the hotel in Bamako, it is led by the Algerian terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar. This organization is responsible for many resonant terrorist attacks in the region, including a large-scale attack on a gas complex in Algeria. In May of this year, 'Al-Murabitun' swore allegiance to terrorists from the group Islamic State (IS), TASS reports.
The attack was organized jointly by the two factions - 'Al-Murabitun' and 'Al-Qaeda in the countries of Arab Maghreb,' which operate in several countries of North Africa. The militants have demonstrated their ability to cause a sudden smashing blow to the capital, which is protected by the government army and other security agencies. In addition, the extremists have shown that they are, in spite of the preventive actions of the army and the multidisciplinary comprehensive United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali, gradually spreading their influence beyond the northern regions of the country, entrenching themselves in the central part, and even in the south of Mali.
Since midnight the country has declared a state of emergency. And starting from November 23 the country has declared three days of national mourning.
