Interview: Terror attacks unite Russians: expert

The terror attacks on Moscow metro system united Russian people, pushing them to be more supportive to the government's anti-terror polices, Alexei Kozyrev, the history and philosophy professor of Moscow State University, told Xinhua in an interview two days after the Moscow metro tragedy that killed 39 and injured more than 60.

"The blasts happened in the morning rush hour, when students were hurrying to school and people heading to work. Thinking that the victim could be someone you know or even your family member, you would feel terrified. This is just what the terrorists want-- to spread fear and unstability," Kozyrev said.

But the Russian people haven't been defeated, he said.

"People have become more strong and united in tragedy. They were bringing flowers to the blast-hit metro stations, to mourn for the victims and to tell the terrorists, 'you intend to agitate the society, but you can succeed never.' The whole nation becomes more united in this moment," he said firmly.

Kozyrev believed that the metro attacks were carefully-plotted by terrorists who blew off the explosives when the train was arriving at the metro platform instead of running in the tunnel.

"Because TV reporters and cameramen can more easily reach the blast sites, and the bloody scene could be seen on TV for hours. This is a bare menace," he said.

Kozyrev urged the whole nation to become more vigilant. "The government should not only strengthen security force and equipment, but also enhance the national unity," he added.

Two deadly blasts struck the Lubyanka and Cultural Park subway stations in central Moscow during rush hours on Monday morning, with an interval of around 45 minutes. In the first attack, a female suicide bomber blew off the explosives when the subway train stopped at the station and the doors just opened.

A Chechen militant has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks in an Internet message posted hours after the attack.

Doku Umarov, who leads Islamic militants in Chechnya and other regions in Russia's North Caucasus, said in a video posted Wednesday on a pro-rebel Website that the twin suicide attacks were revenge for the killing of civilians by Russian security forces.

Source: Xinhua