The Moscow mall fire was obviously not caused by Ukraine: Why would Ukraine hit a shopping mall that was empty and had no strategic value? It doesn't work as terrorism or as a military target. Terrorists don't hit empty malls. And military strategists don't waste precious resources on malls. Arsonists, on the other hand, want their insurance payout but also want to avoid being charged with homicide if at all possible (of course, this did kill someone, but that is probably a combination of bad luck and misjudging how effective this explosion would be).
What I suspect is that this actually, despite the massive size of the explosion, is insurance fraud by the owner of the OBI hardware store or the mall owner due to reduced sales post sanctions. It could also be some sort of generic anti-Putin or even pro-Chechen terrorism though my comments about the mall being empty still hold in this case: But it simply doesn't make any sense for Ukraine to risk its standing with the West to do this. A false flag from Russia, as unlikely as that is, is more likely than Ukraine doing this.
The time of day chosen, the method used, and even the location are all consistent with an arsonist who miscalculated.
Plus, the methods are those you would expect of an arsonist trying to cover his tracks: Exploding aerosols and paint tins are not the hallmark of special forces. Of course, I suppose the special forces could be using the tools of an arsonist to give themselves cover, but isn't arson more likely given, well, the obvious lack of military or even terroristic purpose in attacking a mall at a time when no shoppers would be present.
Russian authorities are themselves suggesting it is either arson, note arson and not terrorism, or a result of safety regulations not being followed (specifically safety precautions around welding). You don’t normally use arson to describe an act of terrorism even if the terrorism was by means of arson. Furthermore, video of the incident makes it clear that the fire occurred before the explosion—meaning the fire caused the explosion, not the explosion the fire.
It tells you something that not even the Russian authorities are trying to blame this on Ukraine.
The disgusting paragraph that I've copy-pasted below is part of a piece by Vincent McCaffrey posted today at AmGreatness (where Anton's Flight 93 essay was published in 2016):
"If we are attacked, as we were at Pearl Harbor, we must strike back and defend ourselves to the fullest. Even Roosevelt, a progressive socialist understood that much. We may have been provocative before the attack, but certainly not on the scale of our open aid to the despotic regime in the Ukraine. Is there any doubt that supplying missiles to a petty tyrant like Zelenskyy will provoke the equally small-minded Putin to react? Didn’t Russia try this with us in Cuba some years ago? A war is being manufactured for dubious purposes by our own oligarchy of illiberal tyrants, when such a declaration of war can only be made by Congress. Is this in question?"