British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt on Sunday cast doubt on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s account of Friday night’s bloody attack on the outskirts of Moscow, saying he had “very little faith” in what the Russian government said, AFP and Agerpres reported.

London’s reaction came after Putin vowed on Saturday to “punish” all those responsible for the blast that killed at least 133 people at a concert hall outside Moscow, saying the attackers had been arrested because they pointed to Ukraine, without mentioning that the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

​President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Saturday accused Vladimir Putin of trying to “blame” Ukraine after the bloody attack on Friday.

“We know that Putin is creating a propaganda smokescreen”

“Any loss of civilian life is absolutely horrific, even if it happens in countries whose governance we strongly disapprove of, and we can only hope that those responsible are caught,” Jeremy Hunt told Sky News.

However, when asked about Moscow’s explanations, the British minister said that he “has very little faith in what the Russian government is saying.”

“We know that he is creating a propaganda smokescreen to protect an absolutely diabolical invasion of Ukraine,” he continued.

“I take what the Russian government is saying with great caution (…) after what I’ve seen from them over the last few years,” Jeremy Hunt said.

Sunday was declared a day of national mourning in Russia after Friday’s massacre, the deadliest attack on European soil, claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

People entered the Crocus City Hall performance venue, then opened fire with automatic weapons on the crowd and set it on fire with flammable liquid, killing at least 133 people.