Shooting in Moscow: the attacks that have hit the Russian capital in the last 25 years

The attack on the Moscow theater, which this Friday caused dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries, adds to the list of numerous attacks that have left the Russian capital in mourning over the last 25 years. Bombs in the apartments, a attack at another rock concert, subway attacks and even a memory of hostage taking, with a fatal outcome, mark direct and recent antecedents of the episode that occurred at Crocus City Hall.

Authorities have already described the attack on the concert hall, located in north-west Moscow, as a “bloody terrorist attack”. Meanwhile, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, through its communications agency.

He September 13, 1999120 people died in an attack with bomb in a building south-east of Moscow. It came just days after 90 people died in another building explosion.

In both cases, Russian authorities attributed the attack to “Chechen terrorists”. These events preceded the start of the second Russian-Chechen conflict in October of that year. Other theories claim that they were orchestrated by the Russian security services (FSB).

One of the most remembered tragic episodes in Russia’s recent history is the Hostage taking in the Dubrovka theaterMoscow, which began on October 23, 2002 and lasted four days.

On that occasion, a Chechen commando of 21 men and 19 women with weapons and explosives held more than 900 hostages. The rescue operation launched by Russian forces resulted in 130 deaths, most of whom asphyxiated by the gases used in the action.

On July 5th of the following year, meanwhile, a double suicide bombing The attack committed by two women killed 15 people and injured more than 50 at the entrance to a rock concert at Tushino airport in Moscow. The attack was never claimed, but Russian authorities attributed it to Chechen independence commandos.

On February 6, 2004, an explosive attack occurred in the Moscow Metroclaimed by an unknown Chechen group (“Gazotan Murdash”), killed 41 people.

Six years later, on March 19, 2010, the Moscow metro was again the target of terrorists. At least 40 people died in a double attack in the Moscow subway, attributed by the authorities to two female suicide bombers. One of the explosions occurred at Lubyanka station, in front of the headquarters of the Russian Security Services (FSB).

On January 24, 2011, a suicide attack killed 37 people and injured 130. Moscow-Domodedovo Airport, in the arrivals area of ​​international flights. The then leader of the Islamist rebellion, Chechen Doku Umarov, claimed responsibility for the action.