The 2004 Grozny stadium bombing occurred on 9 May 2004 when a bomb exploded in the Dynamo Stadium in the Chechen capital,

Grozny Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...

, killing 10 people including the republic's president

Akhmad Kadyrov Akhmad-Khadzhi Abdulkhamidovich Kadyrov ce, Къадири Ӏабдулхьамидан кӀант Ахьмад-Хьажи, Q̇adiri Jabdulẋamidan khant Aẋmad-Ẋaƶi (23 August 1951 – 9 May 2004) was a Russian politician and revolutionar ...

. Another 100 people were wounded.

Background

The attack occurred during a parade and concert celebrating the 59th anniversary of the defeat of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Bombing

The explosion was caused by a bomb planted underneath the concrete floor of the VIP podium and occurred at 10:35 am during a cultural presentation that followed the parade. The blast tore a hole in the section designated for dignitaries. Other fatalities of the attack included Khussein Isayev (Chairman of the State Council), and

Adlan Khasanov Adlan Khasanov (russian: Адлан Хасанов 25 May 1970 – 9 May 2004) was a Russian Chechen journalist and photographer, killed in action in Grozny. Khasanov studied journalism at the Chechen State University, and later worked in newspa ...

(a reporter for

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

). Colonel General Valery Baranov, the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' commander of the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

in the

northern Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

, lost a leg in the attack. Although estimates of total casualties varied, at least ten people were killed and around a hundred more injured, including many civilians and war veterans who were attending the celebrations. The blast was detonated by remote control and was installed below the VIP section where Kadyrov was sitting. It was supposedly planted some time before, during the recent renovations to the venue. The type of explosive was identical to one used to blow up a similar parade two years prior in the Dagestani city of

Kaspiysk Kaspiysk (russian: Каспи́йск; lbe, Ккасппи; av, Каспиялъухъ) is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea, southeast of Makhachkala. The 2010 Russian census recorded the city as being the ...

. Two other blasts were prevented as emergency services defused a landmine and an additional explosive device. On 12 May, another explosive device was found in the stadium.

Investigation

Initial investigations focused on the security staff at the stadium and the builders who took part in the renovations. Investigators had given a more specific list of suspects who were under investigation to the State Duma.

Reactions

Rebel leader

Shamil Basayev Shamil Salmanovich Basayev ( ce, Салман ВоӀ Шамиль ; russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев; 14 January 1965 – 10 July 2006), also known by his kunya "Abu Idris", was a senior military commander in the Cheche ...

claimed that he was involved in and had organized the blast. The attack may have been intended to sow panic and disorder among the pro-Russian Chechen leadership. The Russian-appointed Prime Minister Sergei Abramov served as president until new elections were held sometime before September, as stipulated by the republic's

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

. The attack served a blow to President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

and his strategy for ending the conflict in Chechnya. On 5 August, three suspects were arrested in connection with the attack. Another man was later arrested and cooperated with the investigators in providing useful information.

Legacy

The Victory Day holiday has subsequently also served as a day of remembrance for the victims of the attack. On 9 May, the entire leadership of the republic visit the grave of the president in

Tsentoroy Tsentaroy (russian: Центарой) is the name of several rural localities in the Chechen Republic, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the ...

and pray there. This takes place prior to a Victory Day parade on a square named in Kadyrov's honor.

References