The bombings of apartment buildings in Russia in 1999 constitute a series of terrorist acts that were carried out in Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk. As a result, 307 people died, and more than 1,700 were seriously injured, and also suffered in one way or another.
In accordance with the official version, as well as the sentences of the judicial authorities of the Russian Federation, the organization and financing of these attacks is the result of the work of the leaders of the illegal formation called the Islamic Institute "Caucasus". According to the proven version of the investigation, the bombings of residential buildings in Russia were ordered by Abu Umar and Emir al-Khattab, while groups of North Caucasian militants became the executors. The terrorist attacks were originally aimed at achieving mass deaths to intimidate the population and a general violation of the existing security system. In addition, the attacks were carried out in order to influence decision-making by the authorities related to the elimination of the consequences of the militants attack on Dagestan in the same year.
Within a few years after these events, the overwhelming majority of performers and organizers were killed or arrested by the special services of Georgian and Russian power structures. Unfortunately, a certain part of the organizers was never punished.
The explosion in Bunaysk
Explosions of residential buildings in Russia began in the city of Buinaksk, where on September 4, 1999, a five-story residential building was blown up at ul. Levanevsky (Shikhsaidov) No. 3. The explosion was carried out using a truck model GAZ-52, in which at that time there were more than 2700 kg of explosives made from ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder. It is worth noting the fact that the target of the attack was not chosen by chance. Explosions of residential buildings in Russia began with the homes of military families.
The consequences of the attack led to the destruction of two entrances of residential buildings, resulting in 64 deaths and 146 injured. An explosion of the second truck of the ZIL-130 model was also planned, but, fortunately, the commander of the special engineer-sapper battalion managed to neutralize him while he was near the hospital about two hours after the first explosion occurred. Subsequently, documents in the name of Isa Zainutdinov were found in a neutralized truck.
The explosion in Moscow (at Guryanova)
The bombings of residential buildings in Russia in 1999 continued with the attack of a 9-story residential building located on Guryanova Street (Moscow) on September 8. Two entrances due to this terrorist attack were completely destroyed. At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that the resulting blast wave also led to a serious deformation of the structures of the neighboring house.
According to official figures, the bombings of apartment buildings in Russia in 1999 on Guryanov Street resulted in the deaths of 100 people, while about 690 people were injured in varying degrees of severity. The conclusions of the bomb experts indicate that the approximate explosive power was 350 kg (the value is indicated in TNT equivalent), and during the initial examination conducted on the spot, particles of RDX and TNT were found. A few days later, a decision was made to completely destroy the houses with the help of professional explosion engineers, while the inhabitants of the apartments were relocated to other buildings.
First call
A little later, a call was made to the editorial office of the Interfax agency, which was supposed to disclose information about what the explosions of residential buildings in September in Russia represent. The stranger spoke with a strongly noticeable Caucasian accent and introduced himself only as a member of the "Confederation for the Liberation of Dagestan." He said that the bombings of residential buildings in Russia (in Moscow in particular) constitute an act of revenge for the fact that the Russian Federation is engaged in military operations that took place on the territory of Dagestan. On the same day, a photobot by Mukhit Laipanov was shown on all news channels, who rented a room on the ground floor of the building where this explosion occurred. September 13 officially held a day of mourning for the dead in these two explosions.
Search work
After the attack on Guryanova Street, district police officers across Moscow began an active check of the entire non-residential fund. Special attention deserves the work of Dmitry Kuzovoy, who decided to carefully check the house on Kashirskoye Shosse, No. 3. This building housed a furniture store that was handed over by the owner to a man named Mukhit Laipanov, who said that a sugar warehouse would be located there. During the inspection of the store, the district police officer did find a large number of bags filled with sugar, but he did not even suspect that the terrorists were using such a cover to mask explosives. Later, on September 12, the district policeman again came to this house for a second check, but found only a closed store door, which he could not crack open. September 13 there was a powerful explosion.
Kashira highway explosion
When there were explosions of residential buildings in Russia on Kashirskoye Shosse, the house in which the furniture store was located was completely destroyed, and almost all the residents who were in it at that time (124 people) were dead. Only 7 people received injuries of varying severity. The power of the explosion this time was 300 kg (the value is indicated in TNT equivalent).
Boris Yeltsin, who was then the president of Russia, urgently summoned Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and ordered him to conduct a full inspection of residential buildings throughout the city during the day. After the second explosion, the security services took absolutely unprecedented security measures not only in the capital, but also in other cities of Russia, as well as in neighboring countries. In particular, a full inspection of various basements and attics was carried out, and many residents of residential buildings for several months engaged in spontaneous round-the-clock patrolling of their areas.
The first results of the investigation
On September 13, the owner of a real estate company, having seen the lay-on of Laypanov, recognized the client who decided to rent a room for them from the warehouse. The building was leased to the address: Borisovskie Prudy, 14, where the basement was rented, as a result of which the businessman tried to inform the FSB as soon as possible. Subsequently, law enforcement authorities conducted the most urgent checks of this building. As a result, it was possible to find 50 bags filled with explosives, the total weight of which was 2.5 tons. 6 programmed timers were installed on the bags. Subsequently, it was established that in fact Mukhit Laipanov died in February 1999, while Achemez Gochiyaev actively used his documents.
Shamil Basayev immediately rejected the fact that he had any involvement in the ongoing terrorist acts, while another Mujahideen leader named Khattab said that from that moment he was waging war not only against the Russian army, but also, in principle, against all the people of the country. It is also worth noting that the leader of the Sharia’s Islamic radical organization named Abu Hamza al-Masri decided on September 14 to send an official statement to the editorial office of the Al-Hayat newspaper that he fully supported the bombings in residential buildings in Russia. Serious attacks took place on September 13, 1999 and September 4 , which, according to him, constitute “Islamic revenge on the Russians for the fact that their soldiers are firing at the civilian population living in Dagestan and Chechnya. "The Russians have been engaged in such a criminal policy for many years, while the rest of the world simply turns a blind eye to all the humiliation of Muslims." These are the words of Abu Hamza al-Masri.
The explosion in Volgodonsk
About a nine-story building located at Oktyabrskoye Shosse, on September 35 and 16, a GAZ-53 truck exploded. After this attack everyone remembered for many decades exactly what year the explosions of apartment buildings in Russia took place, although this was not such a large-scale attack as the previous ones. Subsequently, the debris was discovered 18 dead people, and also another person died in the hospital. 89 people were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.
It is worth noting that the owner of the truck was Abbaskuli Iskander-oglu Iskenderov, who drove the car to the scene of the explosion. According to him, three Caucasians bought a car from him, allegedly loaded it with potatoes and asked her to drive to this place, and only by a miracle he escaped by going home to warm up, and not having to stay on duty at night.
Conclusions of the investigation
In accordance with the results of the investigation, it was determined that, as mentioned above, the explosions of residential buildings in Russia occurred in 1999 by order of the leaders of an illegal armed group called the Islamic Institute “Caucasus”. These were Abur Umar and Emir al-Khattab. The initial goal of the attacks is to ensure mass deaths in order to violate public safety, as well as intimidate the entire population of the country.
The main force of the militant group that attacked Dagestan was various mercenaries and fighters from other countries, all of them were members of the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade, which had a direct connection with al-Qaeda. It is worth noting that the explosions of residential buildings in September (1999) in Russia were guided directly from the Khattaba training camp, which was located in Chechnya. At the same time, the investigation established that Khattab himself was in close cooperation with the famous terrorist Osama bin Laden, who, in addition, blew up the buildings of American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, and also launched a terrorist attack on the “twin towers” ”, Which occurred in September 11, 2001.
Performers
In order to carry out all the terrorist acts, Abu Umar and Khattab used the services of the Muslim Society No. 3. One of its chairmen was Achimez Gochiyaev, who organized and led a sabotage group. It is worth noting the fact that until 1997 Gochiyaev was engaged in a rather successful business in Moscow, but in 1997 he was fascinated by the ideas of Wahhabism. As a result, he returned to his native Karachaevsk, and then began to undergo training in a specialized camp in Khattab under the name “Caucasus”. The decision that Gochiyaev should lead the operation was made for the reason that he had very good combat skills, and at the same time he knew the territory of Moscow very well.
At the time of 2011, the vast majority of terrorists were killed or arrested. To date, only Achemez Gochiyaev has not been found and is on both the federal and international wanted lists.
Kovalev Special Commission
On the initiative financed by Boris Berezovsky (at that time a member of the Liberal Russia party), a specialized commission was created whose main goal was a detailed investigation into the circumstances of the terrorist attacks in Volgodonsk and Moscow in 1999. The deputy of the State Duma Sergey Kovalev was chosen as the head of this commission.
In the course of one of the meetings of this commission, the FSB Public Relations Center made a statement that the security service was not going to engage in advertising actions of dubious individuals, as well as engage in any debate with them.
In 2003, human rights activist Lev Levinson, who was the secretary of the Kovalev commission, said that in fact, the version that the FSB was involved in the bombings of apartment buildings in Russia (1999, photo above) is even more questionable than the version the presence of the so-called “Chechen trace” in the events described. He noted that the overwhelming majority of Felshtinsky-Litvinenko’s conclusions are based only on personal assumptions, which are sometimes quite free.
Levinson said that the commission initially had no purpose in conducting an operational investigation, since it was immediately clear that it would not be given access to the necessary materials of the criminal case, and that it was not possible to engage in its own private investigation, and that made no sense.
It is worth noting that there are a large number of unofficial assumptions as to how and on whose initiative the explosions of apartment buildings occurred in September 1999 in Russia, but in the overwhelming majority of cases it was the official version that had more reasons to be considered true. Boris Berezovsky also actively dealt with this issue, but all his actions, according to the overwhelming majority of experts, were more aimed at discriminating against Putin and his leadership as a whole.