By Nataliya Pulina, Moscow

These days many Russians remember ‘Nord-Ost’

For now there is no information about a terrorist attack being prepared against Russia, but there is an unavoidable impression that one is imminent. It all began Friday afternoon when the evening editions of the electronic mass media reported an appeal by the federal operational headquarters of the National Anti-terrorism Committee (NAK), asking for all citizens to be alert. The next day the atmosphere in the large cities of the nation was frightening, while the populace relived the fears of ‘Nord-Ost’ and the apartment blasts on the Kashirsk highway.

In their appeal, the NAK stressed that they had received information from its foreign partners about a possible terrorist attack on ground transportation or a subway system inside of Russia. The headquarters asked citizens to relate to the information with understanding, to increase their level of alertness, assist law enforcement agencies, and, in the case of suspicious activity, to inform the security and law enforcement agencies in a timely manner. The special services in all Russian regions were placed “on picket”, Russian power engineers reinforced the defenses of facilities under their control, and the large Russian airlines declared their readiness to act in accordance with the instructions they had received.

Special security measures were taken up, of course, in Moscow – the mega-city has an advanced transportation infrastructure and a population of several millions. The capital city airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Sheremet’yevo, which after the 2005 terror attacks were subjecting each passenger to individual inspections, now went to a 100% search regime of handbags and freight, and checked all vehicles entering the airports. The Metro was a special item, and at the time the Moscow underground observed an influx of law enforcement officers conducting military patrols, as well as policemen with detector dogs. Citizens having their documents inspected related to the proceedings with understanding. Movement of participants in various events was done on buses under police escort. Workload and numbers of policemen were added to the city, and the police were required to regularly inspect attics and cellars, and conduct passport checks aimed at uncovering citizens who were illegally located in the Moscow residential sectors. Immigration officers checked the city marketplaces.

In warning of the danger of a terror act, the special services were also worried that panic might ensue among the populace. Parliamentary speaker Boris Gryzlov declared that he shared the general alarm connected with the danger. “Terrorism, unfortunately, is a reality that the whole world faces, and continues to be a serious danger. It’s very important that those who think up these inhumane acts are not able to achieve their main goal – to bring the public to panic,” said Gryzlov. However, there was no panic among the populace at all – the number of passengers on the Moscow metropolitan did not even diminish. Apparently, after several terror attacks, people had gotten used to a possible repeat of the threat. “On Tuesday, while listening to the news about attacks being prepared against us, I was a little bit scared and went to bed. The next morning I saw a lot of police on my way to work, and I remembered the news I’d heard the evening before,” says one Irina.

It is worth mentioning that, in expectation of this threat, citizens of Russia showed an unusual level of alertness. The NAK thanked the heads of the transportation departments and the populace for its help in checking out information about possible terror acts. The committee received more than 100 calls concerning suspicious signs and activity. Packages found in the Voikovskaya metro station and in an office building in the center of Moscow were sent in for expert examination. In the city of Tyumen, FSB officers confiscated 10 kg of TNT in a train station. Two residents of the Sverdlovsk district were carrying the explosives.

On Wednesday evening it was declared that the information received from our foreign colleagues “at the given time cannot be corroborated”, but the police reinforcements were not removed from the Russian capital. Now it is difficult to say whether the alarm was false or not. In connection with the proceeding, experts have already come up with several reasons. The first is that it was an FSB training exercise. The second is based on the fact that certain political forces wished to spread panic, since Russia was entering a year of parliamentary elections. The third version is that the background security threat would remain unnoticed after a third reading of legislation concerning transportation security. The act gives legal grounds for protecting Russian citizens from illegal interference, including terrorism. In comparison with the first reading of the bill, (after the perceived terrorist threat) the legislation patiently suffered major changes. If at first the document was merely part of a general legal project called ‘transportation security’, and produced in order to include new technology in the protection of transportation, then by the second reading members of parliament had clearly defined one of the main threats to transportation: a terrorist act. On its adoption during its second reading, the bill divides transport infrastructure and resources into predetermined categories, and proceeds in stages through the threats of illegal interference and their possible consequences.

The main intrigue concerning this legislation is contained in the fact that it offers to create a single, governmental information system to provide transportation security. In part, it would include an automated, centralized database of personal information about passengers: giving names, dates, and places of birth, passenger passport data, points of departure and destinations, and the types, itineraries, and dates of various trips. The document would also list work restrictions directly related to transportation security. People who are barred from participating in transportation security are those who have are still listed as incarcerated, are on law enforcement watch lists due to psychological illnesses, alcoholism, or drug abuse, those released from service due to disciplinary actions, and those who, in the opinions of interior ministry agencies, present an increased danger to the life and health of those around them.

Comments (1)

1. Russia continues to await the next explo Written by CSS , on 01-02-2007 01:40 For now there is no proof that terrorists are preparing a terror attack in Russia, but the information has made an impression. It all began Friday afternoon, when the evening editions of the broadcast media carried a message from the operational headquarters of the National Anti-terror Committee (NAC) asking everyone to be on the alert. The next day large cities in the country were put on an alert footing, while the population silently recalled such terror acts as 'Nord-Ost' and the Kashirsky Highway apartment blasts. Report

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