First Thing: Russia seeks to blame Ukraine for massacre despite evidence it was Islamic State
Russia tells US to rethink its assertion that IS was responsible for the attack, despite group claiming responsibility and sharing new footage. Plus, Donald Trump gets the band back together
Good morning.
Moscow has told the US to rethink its assertion that the Islamic State militant group was responsible for the terrorist attack on the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow that claimed at least 137 lives, as the Kremlin sought, without evidence, to link it to Kyiv.
What's Russian state media reporting? It has mostly ignored IS, instead focusing on claims that Ukraine was either responsible or ready to shield the attackers. Kyiv has strongly denied the claims.
Could the death toll rise? Russian authorities said they expect it to, with at least a dozen people still in critical condition.
What is the food security situation? Famine was projected to hit northern Gaza by May unless there was urgent intervention, a UN-backed food security assessment showed last week.
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