Incident Summary:
09/16/1999: Chechen rebels were suspected of the bombing of an apartment building in Volgodonsk, Russian Federation, which killed 19 people and injured at least 184. The explosion left a large crater in front of the building and caused significant damage to the apartment building, along with a nearby police station and approximately twenty other buildings. In 2004, Adam Dekkushev, 42, and Yusuf Krymshamkhalov, 37 were sentenced to life imprisonment for the organization and perpetration of this bombing and the two Moscow apartment bombings, also in September 1999.
Overview
GTD ID:
199909160002
When:
1999-09-16
Country:
Russia
Region:
Eastern Europe
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Rostov
City:
Volgodonsk
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
Civilians |
Specific Description |
Residents of an apartment building in Volgodonsk, Russian Federation |
Nationality of Target |
Russia |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Unknown |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Vehicle |
Weapon Details |
Authorities stated that the bomb, which was placed in a truck outside the building, had the equivalent force of at least 85kg of TNT, creating a crater 13 meters in diameter and 3.5 meters deep. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
This was one of three related attacks (cf. 199909090002; 199909130003; 199909160002). By 2003, Investigators had determined that the following perpetrators were involved in the Moscow and Volgodonsk bombings: Emir al-Khattab, Abu Umar, Achemez Gochiyayev, Khakim Abayev, Denis Saitakov, Zaur Batchayev, Timur Batchayev, Adam Dekkushev and Yusuf Krymshamkhalov. Khattab, Umar, Z. Batchayev, and T. Batchayev had all reportedly died by this time, Abayev reportedly died in 2004, and Gochiyayev was still at large. Dekkushev and Krymshamkhalov were arrested in 2003 and sentenced for these attacks in 2004. These attacks, along with a fourth in Dagestan (cf. 199909040001) have often been cited as pretexts for Russia's military intervention in Chechnya, which began on October 1, 1999. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Group Sub-name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Chechen Rebels (suspected) |
Commander Abu Omar al-Saif |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
17 Fatalities / 184 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
17 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
184 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
“Volgodonsk bomb equaled [sic] 850 [sic] kilos of TNT: security official,” Agence France Presse, September 17, 1999. |
“Yeltsin vows to win ‘struggle against terrorism’: President's pledge follows another Russian blast, which kills 17 people and injures 180,” The Vancouver Sun, September 17, 1999. |
“Two terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment in Moscow,” TASS, January 12, 2004. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties