//The Wire//2000Z March 22, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: TERROR ATTACK STRIKES MOSCOW. HOUSE PASSES TRILLION DOLLAR SPENDING BILL.//

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-International Events-

Haiti: Evacuations and repatriation operations continue via a variety of means. Due to the targeting of fixed-wing aircraft in the vicinity of the main airport in Port-au-Prince, and the difficulty in reaching the airport itself, many evacuation efforts are being carried out via helicopter to the neighboring Dominican Republic where the security of additional logistics can be guaranteed.

Russia: This evening, at least five gunmen conducted a terror attack at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, a large public concert venue and theatre. The attack has reportedly left over 40 dead, and hundreds wounded, though these numbers are expected to rise. Following the shooting, the Crocus Hall complex was observed to be on fire. As of this report, hundreds of civilians and victims are reported to still be trapped inside the burning structure.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. – In Congress, the House passed the $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill this morning. The bill was introduced Thursday night, less than 24 hours before the vote. The bill is over 1,000 pages long. Included in the bill is an additional $300 million for Ukraine and $200 million for the creation of a new FBI headquarters. An extra $1 billion was given to the TSA (in addition to their $10.5 billion funding), specifically for “pay equity investments”.

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Analyst Comments: As the Moscow attack was ongoing, and even before the situation had reached a conclusion, the White House issued a statement that there were no indications that Ukraine was involved, nor did the United States have advance knowledge of this attack. This could be a knee-jerk reaction in order to protect the United States proxy (even without knowing or verifying the facts), or this could suggest knowledge of the incident beforehand. As a reminder, two weeks ago the U.S. State Department (as well as the diplomatic wings of several other European nations) posted very specific warnings via the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, regarding the increased likelihood of terror attacks conducted against soft-targets at public concert venues in Moscow. As evidenced by history, the U.S. DoS has an exceptionally poor ability to assess threats of any kind, much less to specifically outline the exact attack profile used by the terrorists today.

Additionally, on the geopolitical front, Russia has officially transitioned into a state of war in Ukraine. Up until this point, Russia has always referred to the combat operations in Ukraine as their “Special Military Operation”, refraining from using the term “war” to describe their military operations. Within hours of this policy shift, the attack was carried out at the Crocus venue. Though obviously many factors must be considered, what is exceptionally clear is the gravity of international atmospherics at this time. As this terror attack is potentially one of the worst in Russian history, careful diplomacy and exceptional tact must be observed by world leaders as international tensions reach exceptionally grave levels of concern.

In Congress, the $1.2 trillion spending bill also completely strips funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. As a reminder, UNRWA has been accused of supporting Hamas by Israel. However, no evidence has been provided by Israel to substantiate these claims, leading even FVEYs partners (such as Australia) to press Israel for details of this alleged cooperation, which have gone unanswered. UNRWA is the main aid UN aid group distributing aid (provided by a plethora of nations) and providing medical care in Gaza. The denial of funding, based