Moscow has long become inured to crime and violence, but the seizure of a busload of South Korean tourists only a few yards from the Kremlin over the weekend came as a considerable shock. While similar bus hijackings have taken place in southern Russia, in the volatile Caucasus region, several times over the last few years, this was different. It took place at the heart of the empire.


Security chiefs met Monday to look at ways to counter such incidents in the future and to consider measures to step up security in the city center. They are worried about the safety of President Boris Yeltsin. Tourists are worried about their own safety, and tour agencies about the effects on future bookings. There were immediate comments about how this just goes to show -- again -- that the country is going to pot and the government is incompetent.


But as Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov pointed out on NTV's "Itogi" program on Sunday evening, there is a limit to what the security bodies can do. If someone is really determined to take civilians hostage, whether on a bus, or a train or in any other public place, there is really no way of preventing them.


It was of course a different matter under the old order, when the power of the huge security services extended into every area of life. In those days -- when it is estimated that one person in every three to be found at any given moment on Red Square was working for the KGB -- it would have been rather easier to stop a would-be terrorist from boarding a tourist bus. It was also very much more difficult then to get ahold of a gun.


Crime, violence and now terrorism have been part of the price this country has paid for a more open society. As regards crime and violence, it is easy to blame the police for their failure to deal with the deteriorating situation. But Saturday night's anti-terrorist operation could hardly be faulted for incompetence.


Whether or not it was necessary to kill the gunman will probably never be known. His level of ruthlessness and determination is still far from clear. But anyone who is prepared to take out a gun and threaten to kill automatically puts his own life on the line.


The first priority of the security services was to save the lives of the hostages, and on this count they succeeded. After some nine hours of negotiations, culminating in the handing over of $1 million in cash and the release of all but five of the hostages, they moved in. The storming was over in seconds and the gunman was the only casualty. It was a textbook operation, and in the end, there are few broader conclusions to be drawn.