Russian Machine Never Breaks

An injured woman sits near Park Kultury station (Photo: AFP)

We woke up this morning to news of suicide bombing on the Moscow metro. During rush hour today, the Lubyanka and Park Kultyry subway stations were targeted in a coordinated attack. Current counts put the death toll at 38 with many more injuries. No group has yet taken credit for the violence, but the ongoing conflict between Chechnya and Russia proper is suspected to be involved.

RMNB correspondent Fedor Fedin is a Muscovite, and he has seen too many days like this. In the summer of 1999, a series of bombs detonated in low-income apartment buildings, killing 293 people. Similar attacks occured in 2001 and 2004. Violence between Chechyn separatists and the Russian government have been common since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Obviously, this website has a great deal of affection for the people of Russia. Our sympathies go out to everyone affected. We’re a hockey blog and, as such, we are absurdly underpowered to address the machinations of global politics. All we can do right now is show our solidarity with the Russian people, who have given the world violins, vodka, very long books, and the world’s best hockey players.

Россия, мы любим тебя.