VLADIMIR Putin could force the Moscow terror suspects to stake a claim of false allegiance to Ukraine in order to justify a nuclear attack, an expert has warned.
The Russian despot is believed to be "hiding" two ISIS terrorists involved in the massacre, and could use them to further his own warped agenda against Kyiv.
Unconfirmed reports from the the BBC Russian Service said one terrorist died during the siege, matching unofficial claims that a gunman had been overpowered during the shooting.
Another was allegedly killed after the gunmen fled in a white Renault car out of Moscow, but neither have been mentioned by Putin.
Security expert Anthony Glees said it is "highly plausible" the men are alive, raising questions about why the tyrant would hide crucial information from the investigation and how he could use it for his own gain.
Professor Glees, from the University of Buckingham, told The Sun they could be part of a twisted "pretext to bring on those tactical nuclear weapons that he has been threatening.”
Further reports which claim Russian authorities buried details of two alleged gunmen have fuelled speculation around the possible plot.
While fears of a nuclear conflict have soared since the Ukraine invasion, it would be a potentially catastrophic escalation that he knows could have devastating consequences around the globe.
Professor Glees told The Sun: “I think it is highly plausible. And I think he would be holding these people first to torture them."
Mad Vlad would then wheel them out to tell the world they were under orders from Ukraine, giving him baseless ammunition in his war against Kyiv.
“If, as I believe they are, ISIS Khorasan operatives, he's seeking to torture them to get them to say in public that they were ordered to carry out this awful terrorist attack," Professor Glees explained.
“Putin will use it to try to obliterate Ukraine even more heavily than he has done so already. And he might even use it as a pretext to bring on those tactical nuclear weapons that he has been threatening.”
Russia has threatened the use of nuclear forces since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the most recent instance of which came last month in Putin's annual state-of-the-nation address.
He said in his recent annual address that Russia's nuclear troops are "constantly, constantly on standby".
And just days ago, the tyrant warned he is ready to launch nuclear weapons if he feels the West is threatening Russia's sovereignty, in his most chilling WW3 threat yet.
He declared: "Weapons exist in order to use them."
"We are ready to use weapons, including any weapons, including [nuclear], if we are talking about the existence of the Russian state, harming our sovereignty and independence."
The deployment of US troops in Ukraine would be viewed as American intervention in the war, Vlad warned during the speech, and trigger a reaction from Russia's nuclear forces.
But despite his bloodthirsty madness Putin is hardly suicidal.
His grasp on power would surely be destroyed, alongside the rest of the world, in the event of nuclear war.
Glees, by referring to "tactical nukes" is talking about those nuclear weapons designed for use on the battlefield.
While wildly destructive, they are not equipped to obliterate entire countries.
But Putin has a collection of terrifying superweapons at his disposal, capable of either.
He has 5,977 nuclear warheads - the largest confirmed stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world.
In comparison, the UK has just 260.
And he has repeatedly bragged about the use nuclear weapons against the West if anyone interferes in Ukraine.
BELOW is a timeline of some of the thinly veiled, and more cutthroat threats Vladimir Putin has made against the West with his nuclear arsenal since invading Ukraine two years ago.
FEBRUARY 24, 2022 - Vladimir Putin: “No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history."
MARCH 26, 2022 - Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: “We have a special document on nuclear deterrence. This document clearly indicates the grounds on which the Russian Federation is entitled to use nuclear weapons. … [This includes] when an act of aggression is committed against Russia and its allies."
APRIL 20, 2022 - Vladimir Putin: “[The new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads] will force all who are trying to threaten our country in the heat of frenzied, aggressive rhetoric to think twice."
FEBRUARY 18, 2024: Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: "Attempts to return Russia to the borders of 1991 will lead to only one thing. Towards a global war with Western countries using the entire strategic arsenal of our state."
FEBRUARY 29, 2024 - Vladimir Putin: “They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory... All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?”
MARCH 13, 2024 - Vladimir Putin: "From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready. ... Weapons exist in order to use them. We have our own principles."
Professor Glees said that Putin is “in deep, deep trouble” as he “failed to keep the Russian people safe” after the Moscow concert inferno.
The security expert told The Sun: “I think the first thing that has to be said is that we cannot know exactly what is going on in the Kremlin right now.
“We can know that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is in deep, deep trouble.
“And he is in deep, deep trouble because he’s won this fraudulent election with a fraudulent landslide vote, but he has not been able to keep his people safe.
Putin might even use it [torture] as a pretext to bring on those tactical nuclear weapons that he has been threatening
Professor Anthony Glees
“The first duty of any leader, whether they're a dictator or democratically elected, is to keep their people safe.
“This juncture is particularly damaging for him following the 7th of March intelligence warning that was given to the Kremlin, both privately and publicly, to the Russian people by the US embassy in Moscow, that a jihadist attack on a concert hall was imminent.”
Professor Glees labelled the US warning as a “very smart move” on the part of Biden’s White House to make this intelligence not only available, but make it public to Russia.
And that is why the horrors that unfolded at Crocus City Hall could not have been a Putin masterplan, the expert claimed.
“[The warning] is one of the key pieces of the jigsaw in trying to understand what is at the back of Putin's mind right now - and how he is hoping to play what is potentially a disastrous situation for him - to his own advantage," Professor Glees explained.
“So, because of the American warning and because it was made public and we all know about it, it’s very hard to believe that the attack on the Crocus Hall theatre was staged by Putin and his secret police, the FSB.
“In theory, it's not implausible. We believe that he did this in 1999 when he was Russian Prime Minister. The so-called Moscow apartment blocks bombings allowed Putin to come over as ‘Mr. Strongman’ and it launched the second Chechen war that virtually wiped out the Chechen capital of Grozny.
He is in deep, deep trouble because he’s won this fraudulent election with a fraudulent landslide vote, but he has not been able to keep his people safe
Professor Anthony Glees
“I mean, barely two stones were left standing on top of each other when Putin had finished with that bloodbath there.
“So, in theory, it is possible that the Crocus Hall [shooting] bombing was planned by Putin as a response to the American intelligence warning.
“However, I would discount that very heavily because it is so much to his disadvantage, given that that intelligence warning was made public.
“The way it looked was the way it was. The Americans warned him, he said it was a provocation, he went public with saying it was a provocation, the Americans were trying to get him into it, he wasn't going to listen to it, then boom! Last Friday, well over 100 people were killed and the same, possibly more, people wounded.
“So that's where we are. He's in a very difficult situation.”
These people will be killed, but not until Putin’s butchers are finished with them
Professor Anthony Glees
He added: “It is also in theory a possibility these witnesses are being held back for other reasons to conceal the fact that this was an FSB plot, but I don’t believe that.
“This looks to me like a massive FSB/Putin intelligence failure. He has not kept his people safe, despite having a very specific warning of an imminent attack on a rock concert from US intelligence.
“And he wouldn't act on that warning because he was conceited and arrogant and human life means nothing to him, whether it's the human life of Russians or the human life of Russia's enemies in Ukraine.
“In their heart, probably most Russian people know that Putin failed them, that he spells death and destruction and that they cannot wait to be shot of him.”
Professor Glees also said that despite what could be the reason behind Vlad parading the Moscow tortured suspects and not killing them just yet.
By showing off his ruthless torture tactics, the ageing despot wants to highlight that Russia is "different from the West" and a cruel punishment awaits those who cross him.
Professor Glees told The Sun: “Yes, they're [terrorists] vile murderers. They killed over a hundred people, but there is something called the due process of law.
“Putin wanted us, the world, not just Russians, to see that these people have been horribly beaten up.
“These people will be killed, but not until Putin’s butchers are finished with them.”
Despite not knowing exactly what might unfold as Russia is a police state, Professor Glees said we can get a good idea of what is going on since Putin is a “textbook dictator”.
He said: “We know about the Third Reich. We know about the Gestapo. We know about the way they tortured people and got admissions and set up fake stories,” he said.
“And because the Third Reich was destroyed, we have all the archival evidence. So we know how these states operate, and Putin is taking so much of what he's doing out of the textbook that is the Third Reich.
“The German people, they stuck with Hitler because they had no alternative, but that the moment Hitler was gone, they felt liberated, and the same will be true for Russia.
“Putin knows that, and that is why he is scared witless by what's going on.
“That's how Putin thinks. He's himself never, never done military service.
“He's never been a soldier. His skillset is the skillset of the KGB of the secret police who use violence and threats and horror to get their way.
“He's not winning in Ukraine. He's not winning. He could win if we don't support him, but he's repeatedly threatened to use what he calls tactical nuclear weapons.
“And this maybe is the pretext that he's been waiting to take a disaster, a catastrophe, and make something out of it for himself. That is the hallmark of an odious dictator.”
There have been numerous allegations and criticisms against Putin's administration regarding torture in Russian prisons. These include:
Use of Torture Tactics: Reports have suggested the use of torture tactics such as beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, and psychological abuse against prisoners.
Denial of Due Process: Critics argue that prisoners are often denied basic legal rights and due process, leading to an environment where torture can occur with impunity.
Lack of Accountability: There is criticism over the lack of accountability for those responsible for torture, with accusations that authorities often turn a blind eye to such abuses.
Violation of Human Rights: Torture is a clear violation of human rights, and the Russian government has faced condemnation from international human rights organisations for failing to prevent and address these abuses.
Political Motivations: Some critics argue that torture is used as a tool to suppress dissent and intimidate political opponents, leading to a climate of fear and repression.
