A strong blow to Putin

A horrific attack on the Crocus City concert hall and shopping complex near Moscow, claimed by the Islamic State, left 137 dead and more than 100 wounded.

Four men suspected of carrying out the attack were arrested near Russia's border with Ukraine, Russian authorities said, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they planned to cross into Ukraine.

Kyiv denied this, denying any connection to the attack and warned that Russia could use the act as an excuse to escalate the invasion.

Due to the fear of new attacks, security has been increased in key transport hubs across Russia. Public concerts and sports events have been postponed, and all this is not even close to the "stability and security" that the Russian president promised before the recent presidential elections.

For years, the first man of the Kremlin presented himself as the only one who can guarantee order and security in Russia. But Russia seems more insecure and unstable today than at any time in Putin's 24 years in power, according to CNN.

The Kremlin's brutal war in Ukraine, now in its third year, has cost the Russians dearly. The military does not release casualty figures, but US estimates put more than 300,000 Russians dead or injured.

Many of the soldiers mobilized last year have not yet been returned from the battlefield, which has caused the outcry of worried relatives. As the war progresses, there is growing fear among many Russians that the mobilization will increase and that Putin will send even more people to the terrifying war in Ukraine, in which the Russians are slowly making progress, but at the same time they are recording enormous losses.

CNN reminds us that last year's rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary group Wagner, who demanded the removal of the Russian supreme command, was a shocking and unprecedented challenge to the Kremlin's authority. His death in a mysterious plane crash shortly thereafter permanently removed any Prigozhin threat.

Likewise, the recent death of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, permanently silenced a vocal critic of the Kremlin. But the thousands who attended his funeral in Moscow, or who turned out to vote against Putin at the polls on the final day of the presidential election, point to a base of discontent.

To make matters worse for Putin, the US and other Western governments warned in early March that intelligence suggested an attack in Russia was about to take place. US officials even said they had been keeping Russia informed for months about indications of an attack.

But for some reason Putin chose to ignore it, describing the warnings as "a provocation... to intimidate and destabilize our society".

Perhaps it was mistrust, since US-Russian relations are at such a historic low. It is also possible that the US data was simply too vague. But for a leader who promised Russians security and stability, a major attack on Russian soil is still a powerful blow.