Moscow's Kursky Station was evacuated Wednesday morning after a grenade was discovered in one of the terminal buildings, a news report said.
About 200 people were evacuated shortly after 6 a.m. when engineers at the station found a grenade without a detonator, the RIA Novosti news agency cited a law enforcement source as saying.
The suspicious item appeared to be an F1 grenade, the report said. The F1 has a destruction radius of about 200 meters.
The discovery comes just a day after Moscow transport police took a 24-year-old man, Alexander Kovnev, to court for allegedly reporting 11 hoax bomb threats at the Kursky station in the space of just four months, the TASS news agency reported.
If convicted of knowingly disseminating false information about a terrorist act, Kovnev could face up to three years in prison or a fine of 200,000 rubles ($4,000), the report added.
Local police are yet to officially confirm the discovery of the grenade.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.