News

The Supreme Court has rejected the complaint lodged by the defence of the convicted residents of Ingushetia Salambek Dzakhkiev and Maksharip Khidriev on the case of blowing up the "Neva-Express" train in 2007, having upheld the earlier verdict of the Novgorod Regional Court.

On March 31, Azerbaijan marks Genocide Day in commemoration of the victims of events in 1918.

The Lenin District Court of Krasnodar has held today already the fourth preliminary hearing on the case of Anastasia Denisova, head of the public organization named "ETnIKa". The court has ruled to return the case to the prosecutor's office for elimination of inquiry mistakes.

Only due to operative actions of employees of the STSI (State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, known in Russia as "GIBDD") in Kizlyar, who blocked the terrorist-suicide-bomber's car, much greater damage of the explosion were avoided. This is the opinion of the Department for ensuring traffic safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia.

Dokku Umarov, leader of North-Caucasian militants, said in his video appeal placed on YouTube that the terror acts in Moscow metro committed by suicide-bombers on March 29 were the answer to the special operation of power agents in Ingushetia, where on February 11 along with members of the armed underground four peaceful residents of Chechnya were killed.

The so-called "Caucasian trace" is possible in the explosions in Moscow metro, believes Oleg Orlov, Chairman of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

Under the information available so far, the terror act committed by terrorists-suicide-bombers in Kizlyar killed 12 persons, more than 20 were hospitalized with various traumas; in total, 23 were injured, but this is non-confirmed data. Houses located near the place of explosion lost their windows; some of them are partially ruined. The FSB has stated that the suicide bomber's target in Kizlyar was the local Interior Division.

In Rostov-on-Don, activists of the opposition - United Civil Front, "Left-Wing Front" and "Solidarity" - plan to go out on March 31 to the central street of the city, Bolshaya Sadovaya, at the entrance to the Gorky Park, and hold an action similar to the one planned on that very day in Moscow in the Triumph Square - in defence of Article 31 of the Constitution - on the freedom of assembly.

The workers of the morgue No. 2, where 14 out of 39 casualties of the yesterday's terror acts in Moscow were brought, assert that none of them has characteristic traumas which could evidence that he or she was squeezed or trampled underfoot by the crowd.

A mourning day was announced today in Moscow - in memory of the casualties of the terror acts committed at Lubyanka and Park Kultury metro stations. All the flags are half-mast in the capital, and all entertainment events are cancelled. Television and radio channels have corrected their programmes. Requiem services will be held in all temples. The death roll of yesterday's explosions is 39 persons by now. The authorities promise to find and punish the organizers of the crimes.

Photos of the two women-terrorists, who blew themselves up in Moscow metro, and of their three helpers have been widespread among Moscow interior departments and divisions, a source from law enforcement bodies of Russian capital said today. The major work will be at transport stations: militiamen will check all the bus stops, where buses arrive from the republics of Northern Caucasus, Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, and Rostov and Volgograd Regions.

In the evening on March 29, in the Lubyanka Square, near the Mayakovsky Museum, an action in memory of victims of March 29 metro explosions took place. It was organized by an initiative group of citizens. As reported by Anton Dolidyonok, one of the organizers, the idea to commemorate the casualties appeared about the afternoon. They bought candles, printed out photos of the tragedy from the Internet, and placed an announcement in their blogs. Internet-users are not just condoling with casualties' relatives and victims, but also discuss the topic of responsibility for the committed terror acts.

Residents of Russia's southern regions feel scared by March 29 terror acts in Moscow metro. The sources of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondents were representatives of different layers of the population; they condoled with casualties' relatives, while the authorities of the regions strengthen security measures in public places.

The Ministry of National Security (MNS) of Azerbaijan has announced detention of a group of persons, who had forwarded from Georgia to Azerbaijan for committing terror acts there "a large amount of firearms, weapon components, ammunition, explosives and appliances." There is a citizen of Russia among the detainees.

After the explosions in Moscow metro, President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev has stated the need to get back to the problems of executing justice under the articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation dealing with terrorism; and the Council of Federation started talking about introduction of death penalty for the organization and committing terror acts.

The Investigatory Department (ID) of the ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office) of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory has concluded that the actions of Sergey Kucheruk, head of the GUVD (Chief Interior Department), accused by ex-major Alexei Dymovskiy of slander, have no crime attributes.

Today, in Ergneti village, on the border with South Ossetia, Georgia has handed over three prisoners to the officers of the frontier service of the South Ossetia's KGB.

The morning explosions on March 29 in Moscow metro, where dozens were killed or injured, may provoke another outbreak of anti-Caucasian moods in the Russian society and lead to persecutions of Caucasian natives in Moscow and other major Russian cities. Many residents of Chechnya think so. A number of local experts believe that the explosions in Moscow metro could be backed both by militants and "certain forces in Russia."

The version that murdering innocent people, absolutely occasional metro passengers, is a revenge for liquidation of militants' leaders in the Caucasus is not true, as Geidar Djemal, leader of the Islamic Committee, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The two explosions committed today in the morning in the Moscow metro have caused a huge public resonance. Leaders of dozens of countries of the world, heads of European institutes of democracy, representatives of international and religious organizations have expressed their condemnation of terrorism and condolences to casualties' families.