Putin attributes crash of Metrojet flight 9268 over Sinai to terrorism

Russian president Vladimir Putin officially attributed on Tuesday the downing of a Russian commercial airliner over the Sinai peninsula to a terrorist attack and committed his country to stepping up strikes on the groups involved.

“Not for the first time, Russia is confronted with barbaric terrorist crimes. We won’t wipe the tears from our souls and hearts. This will remain with us forever. But it won’t stop us from finding and punishing the perpetrators,” Putin said on 16 November at a meeting with the country’s defence and security chiefs.

Metrojet flight 9268 between the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh and St.Petersburg crashed in the Sinai peninsula shortly following take-off on 31 October.

According to Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the FSB, the country’s security service, traces of foreign made explosives were found in the debris at the crash site and on the possessions of some of the victims.

French president Francois Hollande was scheduled to travel to Moscow and Washington DC the following week, where it was believed that he would argue in favour of a coalition to fight against Islamic State.