ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday claimed that Western support to Ukraine has led to the creation of a “terrorist state,” amid Moscow’s accusation of Kyiv being responsible for the killing of a prominent Russian military correspondent in St. Petersburg.

“The support of Washington and Brussels for the Kyiv authorities led to the creation of a terrorist state in the center of Europe,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, said in a message on Telegram.

Volodin said that Russia’s Federal Security Service has prevented a number of attacks against journalists, including Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Dmitry Kiselyov, Yevgeny Popov, Olga Skabeyeva, Tigran Keosayan, and Konstantin Malofeev.

“The Kyiv regime is trying to intimidate and destroy those who speak the truth,” Volodin claimed.

He further said that the responsible for those killed and injured are Western leaders who are supporting Ukraine.

“There is no excuse for terrorism. All over the world, it is being fought hard. They don't negotiate with terrorists, they are destroyed,” he claimed.

On Sunday, a blast in a cafe in the city of St. Petersburg killed prominent Russian military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky.

Russia’s anti-terrorism committee claimed that Ukraine’s special services were behind the explosion, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “I don’t think about what is happening in St. Petersburg or Moscow. Russia should think about this. I am thinking about our country.”