Support The Moscow Times!

New Bomb Threats Force Evacuations at a Dozen Moscow Malls

Sergei Kiselyov / Moskva News Agency

At least 12 shopping centers in Moscow have been evacuated after receiving anonymous bomb threats, a year after a wave of hoax bomb scares prompted mass evacuations throughout the country.

More than a million people in 170 Russian cities were evacuated from malls, schools, train stations, airports and government buildings between September and October 2017. Security services said at the time that Russian nationals based in a foreign country were suspected of the anonymous phone calls that led to mass panic.

Up to 12 major malls, including Atrium and Kapitoly, were evacuated on Wednesday, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted an unnamed Moscow emergency service official as saying.

The official said an evacuation was also underway at Kievsky train station.

An unnamed source told Interfax that more than 4,000 people had been forced to evacuate so far.

Multiple bomb threats also caused bars and restaurants to be evacuated in the city of Rostov-on-Don during the World Cup in June.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more