Moscow nightmare
An explosion in Moscow's underground railway system, the mysterious disappearance of a presidential candidate, and the continuing conflict in Chechnya are creating a tense and uncertain situation in Russia, writes Shohdy Naguib from Moscow
The morning rush hour in Moscow's underground railway is a beehive of activity. Trains follow each other at short intervals and the constant flow of people is a true testament to urban solidarity and mutual trust. This wide network of machinery and communications is generally a safe place, where violence is scarce and accidents are rare. All that changed last week, however, after a subway bomb blast tore apart a subway car, killing 40 and injuring hundreds of commuters on their way to work.
Russians are still trying to come to grips with the tragedy. Families of victims gathered to pay tribute to lost ones and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a national day of mourning. So far, no one has taken responsibility for the attack but that has not stopped the Russian media from laying blame for the attack on yet another shaheed -- suicidal bombers who deliver the bloody message of Chechen separatists.
Aslan Maskhadov, leader of Chechnya's government-in-exile, immediately denounced the crime as did Chechen presidential representative Ahmed Zakaev who was visiting Berlin where he was preparing to address the Bundestag. Zakaev vehemently denied Maskhadov's involvement in the bombing and reaffirmed his government's readiness to "start immediate talks without any preconditions".
Maskhadov's government-in-exile in fact recently came up with a peace initiative that presupposes the establishment of a temporary United Nations-sponsored administration in the republic, a withdrawal of the Russian army and the full disarmament of separatist forces. The plan has received the support of 145 European parliamentarians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, was in no mood to talk peace. Interrupting his talks with the leader of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev after receiving news of the bombing, President Putin assumed his trademarked fighter's stance and told reporters that "Russia does not negotiate with terrorists, it eliminates them."
Claiming that he had the backing of the "world community", the Russian president did little to hide his hard-line stance towards the separatists, saying that his government's "main objective" was to deny "terrorists the minimal chance to start a dialogue, as it only encourages them to commit even more grave crimes".
Putin went on to note the timing of the acts of terror deliberately coincided with Russia's "internal events", an obvious reference to the upcoming Russian presidential elections. Putin observed that "it is not the first time that we come across a synchronisation of crimes committed in Russia with voices that come from abroad calling for negotiations with the terrorists. The mere fact, that immediately after such acts we hear calls for negotiations with Maskhadov, constitutes an indirect evidence of Maskhadov's involvement with those bandits and terrorists."
The bombing was yet another in a series of events marking an increasingly protracted struggle between Chechen separatists and Russia. The overall death toll stemming from the Chechnya conflict is staggering. It is estimated that a quarter of the tiny breakaway republic's population has perished since the conflict began in 1994, amidst reports of draconian tactics being used by Russian forces against suspected separatists.
Yet despite their best efforts, Russia's hard-line approach to Chechen separatists seems to have provided very few dividends. Thousands of Russian soldiers have died and Chechen separatists are thought to be responsible for terrorist attacks throughout Russia that have killed hundreds of civilians. Tensions intensified last year after a Russian effort to hold a referendum on a new Chechen constitution was roundly condemned as having been rigged by Russian authorities.
Russian officials, however, show no signs of relenting. Shortly after the blast Russian presidential candidate Sergei Glazev, a populist and charismatic politician and co-leader of the nationalist Rodina bloc, came forth with a "call to arms". His affiliate Dmitry Rogozin, an outspoken nationalist hard-liner, called for a state of emergency in the country, claiming that "ethnic criminal elements" were encroaching on the capital in order to violently impose their will upon the government. Both politicians were, however, careful to stop short of breaching a Russian law forbidding the "incitement of national strife". Nevertheless, their anger was perhaps symptomatic of widespread frustration over the painful deadlock between Russia and the Chechen separatists.
The subway bombing comes at a crucial time in Russian politics. With voters set to head to the polls on 14 March, some analysts predict the bombing will only increase support for Putin's hard-line against Chechen separatists. Already, polls suggest that 90 per cent of Russians think that President Putin will win his second term. With public opinion polls giving him an enormous lead over his rivals, President Putin has declined to take part in the televised debates, leaving the other candidates to their own devices. Some opposition parties, sceptical of the fairness of the elections, are calling on their supporters to instead boycott the elections altogether.
Their hope is to create a voter turnout so low that the March elections would be considered null and void.
Adding another twist to the already highly charged situation in Russia was news that Russian presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin disappeared under mysterious circumstances the same day the underground terror attack took place. No news of his fate was known but family members and Rybkin campaign staffers were reportedly extremely worried about his safety. Speculation about his whereabouts abruptly ended with the sudden resurfacing of Rybkin in Ukraine. Some commentators contended that Rybkin faked his own disappearance as a publicity stunt and others accusing Putin cronies of being behind the disappearance. Either way, recent events are a clear indication that the 14 March elections in Russia will be anything but dull and will likely have an enormous impact on Russia's political, social and economic future.
