Attacks in Volgograd in 2013

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In the period from October to December 2013, there was a series of suicide attacks in the Russian city ​​of Volgograd ( Volgograd Oblast ) , which are linked to the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February 2014 .

A total of 40 civilians were killed and more than 120 injured in the attacks.

prehistory

In July 2013, Doku Umarov , the self-proclaimed “emir” of the (unrecognized) Caucasian emirate , published a video calling for the 2014 Olympic Games to be prevented “by all means”. His supporters should enforce this goal with “maximum force”.

Umarov, who was on the terrorist list of the UN Security Council's Committee on Actions against al-Qaida , confessed, among other things, to the attacks on the Moscow metro in 2010 and that on Moscow-Domodedovo airport in 2011 .

Both the investigative authorities and the government hold Islamists from the North Caucasus responsible for all three attacks in Volgograd (described below) , even if they have not yet acknowledged the attacks (December 30, 2013).

The bus that was destroyed by the bomb in October

Attack on a public bus on October 21

On October 21, a woman blew herself up in a public bus in Volgograd, killing seven other people. 37 were injured. According to Russian authorities, it was at the assassin to the 30-year-old Naida Assijalowa. She is referred to by the media as a black widow because she was the widow of Dmitri Sokolov, a terrorist from Makhachkala , the capital of the Russian republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus.

Volgograd Railway Station (2005)
The entrance portal to the train station after the explosion

Attack on the train station on December 29th

On December 29, at 12:45 p.m. local time (09:45 a.m. CET ), an explosion occurred at the Volgograd train station, killing at least 18 people. 50 others were injured, about half of them seriously.

Authorities initially assumed that Oxana Aslanov was the attacker. She is said to have been a close ally of Naida Assijalowa, the perpetrator of the attack in October, and is also considered a black widow because she was married to two deceased militants from Dagestan. This theory was also confirmed by the fact that a woman's headscarf was found near the crime scene . A severed finger of a man with shrapnel was later discovered, suggesting that the assassin was a man. Investigators also do not rule out the possibility of two assassins (a man, a woman).

According to investigators, the explosive power of the bomb corresponded to that of ten kilograms of TNT . The bomb contained nails and screws and detonated near the entrance to the station building. The assassin, who strapped the bomb around his body, detonated it just before passing a metal detector when a police officer looked in his direction, investigators say. This circumstance is said to have saved the lives of some people, as there were more people in the station hall, not far behind the metal detectors, at the time of the explosion.

Eyewitnesses report that several people in the train station were thrown back by the force of the explosion. Observers outside the building initially thought of a plane crash.

Destroyed trolleybus

Attack on a trolleybus on December 30th

In the morning traffic on December 30th, there was an explosion in a trolleybus . Wladmir Markin, spokesman for the investigating authorities, confirmed that it was another suicide attack. According to initial reports, at least 16 people were killed. Others were critically or critically injured. At the time of the detonation, the trolleybus was in the immediate vicinity of a supermarket.

Like the bomb of the attack on the train station the day before, the bomb also weighed ten kilograms of TNT and consisted of nails and screws, which is why the same people behind it are assumed.

Effects and reactions

Russia

The government in Volgograd canceled all public New Year celebrations on December 30 and imposed mourning up to and including January 3, 2014. Some cities, such as Saint Petersburg , also announced that they would forego any major New Year celebrations. State television stations canceled several entertainment shows.

President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Moscow with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the security situation. Putin tightened the security precautions at train stations , airports and underground stations and commissioned the domestic secret service FSB to investigate the masterminds.

The Russian Foreign Ministry made on December 30 Islamists responsible for the attacks, which "under the flag of jihad always send new fighters into a" war of terror "".

On January 1, 2014, Russian President Putin visited Volgograd. Here he first led a consultation with representatives of local authorities and the head of the domestic secret service FSB on how to proceed in the fight against terrorism. He then visited the crime scene and then visited the victims of the attacks. He promised them financial help for them and the survivors of the victims.

International

United NationsU.N. UN : The Security Council of the United Nations condemned the attacks as "heinous and cowardly acts". Furthermore, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Putin expressed his condolences over the phone and emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

NATO NATO : "There is no justification for such barbaric attacks," said Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen . "NATO and Russia stand together in the fight against terrorism."

IOCIOC IOC : Thomas Bach , President of the International Olympic Committee, expressed his condolences in a letter to Putin saying he was confident that Russia would guarantee "safe and safe games in Sochi".

United StatesUnited States United States : The US government has offered Russia its "full support in preparing for security for the Sochi Olympics," said White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden, emphasizing "solidarity with the Russian people against terrorism".

ChileChile Chile : The Chilean government affirmed “that terrorism in all its forms and forms is one of the greatest threats to peace and security and that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable - whatever the cause and whoever they are commits ".

ColombiaColombia Colombia : The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the terrorist attacks and expressed "condolences to the families of the victims". The government of Colombia, it has been argued on several occasions, believes that "the fight against terrorism should be a priority for all states".

GermanyGermany Germany : Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to Putin in a letter. Federal President Joachim Gauck also emphasized in a letter: “I condemn these underhand acts of terrorism and destruction that offend against humanity. Also on behalf of my compatriots I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to you. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Top terrorist calls for attacks on the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi on Focus , July 3, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013
  2. ^ The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee ( Memento of March 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Chechen rebel chief admits to attacks in Moscow. Spiegel online , March 31, 2010, accessed February 8, 2011 .
  4. ↑ Chechens support the attack in Moscow MDR , February 8, 2011
  5. ↑ Julia Smirnova: The Murderous Phantom of Volgograd Die Welt , December 30, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013
  6. ↑ В результате теракта в Волгограде ранены 37 человек - уточненные данные МЧС ITAR-TASS , October 21, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  7. ↑ Volgograd suicide blast was planned for Moscow - Investigative Committee source Russia Today , October 21, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  8. ↑ Dead in attack in Volgograd: "Black Widow" allegedly detonated a bomb in a bus Der Spiegel , October 21, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013
  9. ↑ a b c Alla Eshcheko, Steve Almasy: Official: Suicide bomber kills 16 at Russian train station CNN , December 29, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  10. ↑ Nail bomb exploded - 17 dead in Volgograd Focus , December 30, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013
  11. ↑ Suicide bombing kills at least 17 in Russia's Volgograd Russia Today , December 30, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  12. ↑ Consecutive Volgograd suicide bombing kills at least 15 Russia Today , December 30, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  13. ↑ Jethro Mullen: Second deadly blast hits Russian city of Volgograd ahead of 2014 Sochi Olympics CNN , December 30, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  14. ^ Another terrorist attack in Volgograd , Mitteldeutsche Zeitung , December 30, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013.
  15. ^ Fear of further attacks ORF , December 30, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013
  16. ↑ Putin promises to help victims of attacks ( memento from January 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) tagesschau.de January 1, 2014, accessed on January 1, 2014
  17. ↑ Russia Bombings Kill 31, Raise Concern On Olympics NPR.org , December 30, 2013, accessed December 30, 2013
  18. ↑ US Slams Volgograd Terror Attacks, Offers Sochi Help RIA Novosti , December 30, 2013, accessed December 31, 2013.
  19. ^ Gobierno de Chile condena atentados terroristas en Rusia Chilean Government , December 30, 2013, accessed December 31, 2013
  20. ↑ Comunicado del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores rechazando los atentados perpetrados en la Federación Rusa Colombian Government , December 30, 2013, accessed December 31, 2013
  21. ^ Bomb on the bus - another terrorist attack in Volgograd in southern Russia Die Welt , December 30, 2013, accessed on December 31, 2013