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The '''1977 Moscow bombings''' were a series of bombings in Moscow committed on January 8, 1977. These terrorist attacks claimed seven lives, while thirty-seven people were seriously injured. No one ever claimed responsibility for the bombing, though three members of an [[Armenia]]n nationalist organization were ultimately executed for it after a secret trial following a [[KGB]] investigation. Some [[Soviet dissidents]] claimed that the suspects had an [[alibi]]<ref name="Nekrich"/> |
The '''1977 Moscow bombings''' were a series of bombings in Moscow committed on January 8, 1977. These terrorist attacks claimed seven lives, while thirty-seven people were seriously injured. No one ever claimed responsibility for the bombing, though three members of an [[Armenia]]n nationalist organization were ultimately executed for it after a secret trial following a [[KGB]] investigation. Some [[Soviet dissidents]] claimed that the suspects had an [[alibi]],<ref name="Nekrich"/> and [[Andrei Sakharov]] believed {{Citation needed|reason=need good sources for such allegations|date=August 2010}} the bombings might have been arranged by the KGB itself, although this was never proven. |
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==Bombings== |
==Bombings== |
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The official investigation was conducted by the [[KGB]], rather than the Moscow police. An initial suspect, named Potapov, was arrested in [[Tambov]] after setting off an explosive device which killed his neighbour's wife and two daughters. After being arrested, Potapov confessed that he was also behind the acts of terrorism in Moscow. However, this turned out to have been a [[forced confession]], and after an investigation lasting one month, this false trail was dropped by KGB operatives.<ref name="Stepanov"/> |
The official investigation was conducted by the [[KGB]], rather than the Moscow police. An initial suspect, named Potapov, was arrested in [[Tambov]] after setting off an explosive device which killed his neighbour's wife and two daughters. After being arrested, Potapov confessed that he was also behind the acts of terrorism in Moscow. However, this turned out to have been a [[forced confession]], and after an investigation lasting one month, this false trail was dropped by KGB operatives.<ref name="Stepanov"/> |
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In October 1977, alleged proof of Armenian involvement was received. At the [[Tashkent Airport]], a KGB officer noticed a woman carrying a bag, similar to the one in the reconstructed picture of the explosive device sent out by the KGB to all local branches.<ref name="Stepanov"/> It turned out that these bags were manufactured only in Yerevan.<ref name="Stepanov"/> In November 1977 [[Stepan Zatikyan]], a member of a splinter group of the [[National Unification Party]], an underground Armenian nationalist organization, was arrested. His accomplices Zaven Bagdasaryan and Akop Stepanyan were also taken into custody<ref name="institute">{{cite book|title=The Soviet Empire: Pressures and Strains By Institute for the Study of Conflict (London), Institute for the Study of Conflict|publisher=Institute for the Study of Conflict|date=1980|pages=40|quote=Stepan Zatikyan, Zaven Bagdasaryan and Akop Stepanyan were arrested in November 1977 on the charge of causing the explosion in the [[Moscow underground]] on 8 January 1977}}</ref> after an unsuccessful attempt to detonate an explosive device at the [[Kursky Rail Terminal]] in Moscow.<ref name="Stepanov"/> A [[secret trial]] followed; Zatikyan, Stepanyan, and Bagdasaryan were all found guilty on January 24 and executed five days later.<ref name="McCauley ">{{cite book|last=McCauley |first=Mrtin|title=The Soviet Union After Brezhnev By Martin McCauley, University of London School of Slavonic and East European Studies Contributor |publisher=Holmes & Meier|date=1983|pages=50}}</ref> The Soviet press published only one article about the bombings, naming Zatikyan alone as the perpetrator. |
In October 1977, alleged proof of Armenian involvement was received. At the [[Tashkent Airport]], a KGB officer noticed a woman carrying a bag, similar to the one in the reconstructed picture of the explosive device sent out by the KGB to all local branches.<ref name="Stepanov"/> It turned out that these bags were manufactured only in Yerevan.<ref name="Stepanov"/> In November 1977 [[Stepan Zatikyan]], a member of a splinter group of the [[National Unification Party]], an underground Armenian nationalist organization, was arrested. His accomplices Zaven Bagdasaryan and Akop Stepanyan were also taken into custody<ref name="institute">{{cite book|title=The Soviet Empire: Pressures and Strains By Institute for the Study of Conflict (London), Institute for the Study of Conflict|publisher=Institute for the Study of Conflict|date=1980|pages=40|quote=Stepan Zatikyan, Zaven Bagdasaryan and Akop Stepanyan were arrested in November 1977 on the charge of causing the explosion in the [[Moscow underground]] on 8 January 1977}}</ref> after an unsuccessful attempt to detonate an explosive device at the [[Kursky Rail Terminal]] in Moscow.<ref name="Stepanov"/> A [[secret trial]] followed; Zatikyan, Stepanyan, and Bagdasaryan were all found guilty on January 24 and executed five days later.<ref name="McCauley ">{{cite book|last=McCauley |first=Mrtin|title=The Soviet Union After Brezhnev By Martin McCauley, University of London School of Slavonic and East European Studies Contributor |publisher=Holmes & Meier|date=1983|pages=50}}</ref> The Soviet press published only one article about the bombings, naming Zatikyan alone as the perpetrator. [http://old.samara.ru/paper/41/5142/91314/]. According to KGB general [[Philip Bobkov]], any publications in Armenia were blocked by [[Karen Demirchyan]], the head of Soviet Armenia [http://old.samara.ru/paper/41/5142/91314/] |
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==Alleged fabrication by the KGB== |
==Alleged fabrication by the KGB== |
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[[Category:Terrorism in Moscow]] |
[[Category:Terrorism in Moscow]] |
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[[Category:Events in Moscow]] |
[[Category:Events in Moscow]] |
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[[Category:Terrorist attacks attributed to Armenian militant groups]] |
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[[az:1977-ci ildə Moskvada törədilən terror aktları]] |
[[az:1977-ci ildə Moskvada törədilən terror aktları]] |
Revision as of 17:02, 12 October 2010
1977 Moscow bombings | |
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Location | Moscow, Soviet Union |
Date | January 8, 1977 17:33 – 18:10 (UTC+3) |
Target | Moscow Metro, grocery stores |
Attack type | Bombing |
Deaths | 7 |
Injured | 37 |
Perpetrators | Armenian nationalists |
The 1977 Moscow bombings were a series of bombings in Moscow committed on January 8, 1977. These terrorist attacks claimed seven lives, while thirty-seven people were seriously injured. No one ever claimed responsibility for the bombing, though three members of an Armenian nationalist organization were ultimately executed for it after a secret trial following a KGB investigation. Some Soviet dissidents claimed that the suspects had an alibi,[1] and Andrei Sakharov believed [citation needed] the bombings might have been arranged by the KGB itself, although this was never proven.
Bombings
On January 8, 1977 three explosive devices detonated in Moscow. The first bomb went off at 17:33 on a crowded train between the Izmailovskaya and Pervomaiskaya stations of the Moscow Metro.[2] At 18:05, a second bomb detonated inside the grocery store in the Bauman area. Five minutes later the third bomb exploded near yet another grocery store on the 25th of October Street, just a few hundred meters away from KGB and CPSU headquarters.[2] On February 8, 1977, Izvestia, an official newspaper of the Soviet government, reported that the attacks had resulted in seven deaths [2] and 37 injuries.
Official version
The official investigation was conducted by the KGB, rather than the Moscow police. An initial suspect, named Potapov, was arrested in Tambov after setting off an explosive device which killed his neighbour's wife and two daughters. After being arrested, Potapov confessed that he was also behind the acts of terrorism in Moscow. However, this turned out to have been a forced confession, and after an investigation lasting one month, this false trail was dropped by KGB operatives.[2]
In October 1977, alleged proof of Armenian involvement was received. At the Tashkent Airport, a KGB officer noticed a woman carrying a bag, similar to the one in the reconstructed picture of the explosive device sent out by the KGB to all local branches.[2] It turned out that these bags were manufactured only in Yerevan.[2] In November 1977 Stepan Zatikyan, a member of a splinter group of the National Unification Party, an underground Armenian nationalist organization, was arrested. His accomplices Zaven Bagdasaryan and Akop Stepanyan were also taken into custody[3] after an unsuccessful attempt to detonate an explosive device at the Kursky Rail Terminal in Moscow.[2] A secret trial followed; Zatikyan, Stepanyan, and Bagdasaryan were all found guilty on January 24 and executed five days later.[4] The Soviet press published only one article about the bombings, naming Zatikyan alone as the perpetrator. [3]. According to KGB general Philip Bobkov, any publications in Armenia were blocked by Karen Demirchyan, the head of Soviet Armenia [4]
Alleged fabrication by the KGB
Soon after the bombings, Soviet journalist Victor Louis (Vitaly Yevgenyevich Lui), published an article about the involvement of Soviet dissidents in the violent terrorism acts, although most of the dissidents officially declared a non-violent struggle for the human rights. After learning about the publication by Lui, Andrei Sakharov wrote an "Appeal to world community" where he requested an impartial investigation and suggested that the bombings might have been arranged by the KGB itself to discredit the entire Soviet dissident movement[5] He stated: "I have serious grounds for concern. This is the provocation article in London Evening News by Victor Lui. These are arrests and interrogations of people who are clearly not related to the bombings. These are murders of last months, probably committed by the KGB which were not investigated. It is enough to mention only two of them: murder of poet Konstantin Bogatyrev and murder of lawyer Evgeni Brunov." [5]
According to Soviet dissident Alexander Tarasov, he was indeed interrogated by a KGB investigator at this time. The KGB investigator tried to "convince" him that it was actually him who brought the bomb. Unless "I had 300% alibi" (he was confined at a hospital at the time of the bombings), "it would be me who was executed instead of Zatikyan", he said. [6]
Russian historian Alexander Nekrich states that the execution of Zatikyan, Stepanyan, and Bagdasaryan was the first political execution in the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin. [1]
See also
References
- ^ a b M. Heller and A. Nekrich, History of Russia 1917-1995; seven volumes; London, 1982, ISBN 5-87902-004-5 Russian text online, Quote (Russian): "армянские националисты были приговорены к смертной казни закрытым судом и несмотря на то, что алиби обвиняемых было подтверждено многими свидетелями."
- ^ a b c d e f g СТЕПАНОВ, Алексей (2004-01-31). "Бомба в московском метро". "Волжская Коммуна" №18. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ The Soviet Empire: Pressures and Strains By Institute for the Study of Conflict (London), Institute for the Study of Conflict. Institute for the Study of Conflict. 1980. p. 40.
Stepan Zatikyan, Zaven Bagdasaryan and Akop Stepanyan were arrested in November 1977 on the charge of causing the explosion in the Moscow underground on 8 January 1977
- ^ McCauley, Mrtin (1983). The Soviet Union After Brezhnev By Martin McCauley, University of London School of Slavonic and East European Studies Contributor. Holmes & Meier. p. 50.
- ^ Quote (Russian): Я не могу избавиться от ощущения, что взрыв в московском метро и трагическая гибель людей — это новая и самая опасная за последние годы провокация репрессивных органов.[1] [2]