Ruslan Kurbanov: no clear picture of investigation into Moscow metro terror acts

The persons involved in explosions in Moscow metro in 2010 have been liquidated; and the investigation of the case is in deadlock, Andrei Soldatov, editor-in-chief of the website "Agentura.Ru", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Ruslan Kurbanov, a political scientist, agrees that over the past year no coherent picture of what happened at the Lubyanka and Park Kultury stations has been presented.

One year after the explosions, Vladimir Markin, spokesman of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), said that Magomedali Vagabov, one of the leaders of the subversive-terrorist underground active in the territory of Dagestan, was the organizer of the explosions.

Experts, however, note the absence of any progress in the investigation into the tragedy. "Those involved had been killed; there's nobody to be questioned. Therefore, investigators are in a strange position - it looks like the people who had organized the acts are liquidated; however, it is not clear why they did it and why on that very day. Many of these questions have no answers, and, probably, will never have," Andrei Soldatov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his version, it may be stated that the main organizer of the acts had been already killed; he cannot be found and questioned; and this approach to crime investigation cannot help to clarify details and punish those guilty.

"The clearly expressed position of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, assuming punishment of terrorists by liquidating them has resulted in 'chopped-off' inquiries, since the people involved in terror acts are not captured, not prosecuted, but liquidated," said Soldatov.

As a result, according to his version, the year 2010 became a year of paradoxes - "the number of terror acts increased manifold; and at the same time that year was the most successful by the number of liquidations."

Ruslan Kurbanov, a political scientist, a journalist, a senior collaborator at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of the Working Group of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for promoting social dialogue and civil society institutions in the Caucasus and a co-chairman of the Russian Congress of Caucasian Nations, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that in 2010 investigators just reported that all those involved in terrorist activities had been liquidated.

"However, I, being a person who is closely monitoring the Caucasian segment, have not received a clear picture. Who had ordered the terror act? How was the order implemented; how was it committed; and how did the women-suicide bombers arrive? How can we explain the information that Maryam Sharipova was in Makhachkala one day before the attack? How did she get to Moscow? Why were we not shown any record from CCTV cameras how these suicide bombers were brought into the metro and placed into wagons?" asked Ruslan Kurbanov.

He added that the situation with the investigation of the terror act at the Moscow "Domodedovo" Airport was approximately the same.

"If all the customers are established, then, it would be nice to trace the course of the order and make all the details public," said Kurbanov.