Terrorism: Fight Fire with Fire

At least 39 people were killed by two massive explosions that happened within 40 minutes of each other on Monday morning at Lubyanka and Park Kultury subway stations. Russian special services believe the explosions to be a well planned terrorist attack. Politicians and experts shared their comments with Pravda.Ru.

Photo: Terrorism: Fight Fire with Fire

Terrorism: Fight Fire with Fire

An emergency operation center was created in Moscow to coordinate the investigation of the attacks. According to preliminary reports of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB), the explosions were set off by female suicide bombers. “Preliminary data collected in the beginning of the investigation and the nature and frequency of the explosions allow us to conclude that it was a well planned terrorist attack,” a source in Moscow security agency told journalists.

He said that the Monday explosions look like the terrorist attack that happened in Moscow in 2004, at Avtozavodskaya metro station, and a series of terrorist attacks in London subway in 2005.

Sergey Markov, a member of the State Duma:

“It is obvious that the attack was planned and organized by terrorist groups operating in the Northern Caucasus. If a bomb was set off in London during World War II, hardly anyone would doubt it was done by Nazi. Same here. We have one evident threat, terrorists in the Northern Caucasus. It is their modus operandi, their style. I am sure that these were the people behind the attacks.

"Now we have to fight more against the reasons of creation of terrorist networks in the Northern Caucasus. Alexander Khloponin (vice premier and presidential plenipotentiary in the Northern Caucasus federal district) is right to pay close attention to the economic development in the Caucasus. But he is missing one area that is ideological work. People become terrorists not because they cannot find jobs. It happens because they do not have a clear system of values developed by the state. They have a weak educational system that does not support civil system of values."

Nikolai Leonov, former head of the KGB analytical department, lieutenant general of foreign intelligence:

“Today’s explosions are a continuation of the series of terrorist attacks that shook Moscow a few years ago. I believe they can be traced to the Northern Caucasus because people from other regions were never a part of similar terrorist attacks.

"How should we fight it? General rule – you cannot just fight against the top of the iceberg, with trained suicide bombers who conduct these operations. This is a necessary work and it should certainly be conducted. But it does not solve the main problem, which is elimination of reasons, the roots of terrorism. You have to look for the roots of terrorism where it is formed, in the Northern Caucasus. There are manypeople accessory to terrorist attacks that get caught by special services. Only understanding of the deeply rooted reasons of terrorism will help us fight it. I will not help us if we keep tearing off the tops.

"We have to make the people of the Northern Caucasus become a reliable shield against terrorist attacks that do affect them. We need to conduct a serious political work to reveal the roots of terrorism, isolate the terrorists, and make the people of the Northern Caucasus fight terrorism."

Eugeniy Fyodorov, a member of the State Duma, chair of economic policy committee:

“Terrorist attacks are a geopolitical issue. Instability in Russia is specially financed. It is financed in all directions, including the lines of preparation of terrorist attacks. Behind these attacks are not thugs, but a system that we can fight only by strengthening the national currency. This is the only chance that will eliminate the reasons of terrorism and will kill the hopes of those who finance it. They finance it knowing that terrorist attacks will affect us. If they do not, then these geopolitical issues will gradually subside and there will be no large scale support of terrorist attacks in Russia.

"I would also like to ask the media to avoid panic buildup, brainwashing, and creating the sense of general instability."

Dmitry Vyatkin, a member of the State Duma committee for civil, criminal, arbitrage and remedial legislation:

“Let us not make rush conclusions. We need to find organizers and implementers. There can be only one comment – this is a crime against people that we should investigate. Until the investigation makes preliminary conclusions it is nearly impossible to comment on it. We have to work and stop panicking."

Stepan Kiritchuk, chair of the Federal Council committee for the issues of local administration:

“I am stunned by what has happened in the metro. This is a challenge for both the society and law enforcement agencies. I used to work at a railway road and I am very sensitive to the issues of traffic safety. When I had to deal with these issues, we worked as a team with traffic militia, traffic prosecutor’s office, and, the thing that is now completely forgotten, with the community. Our technical control system was very well developed. Obviously, you cannot replace people with technical devices, it does not allow to completely guarantee safety.

"I think we have to be extremely responsible and control the ways we use transportation services. We have enough means, we just need to enhance security.”

Alexander Petrov
Pravda.Ru

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Russia Today: The fight against terrorism has not finished