On the anniversary of the explosion of a residential building on Guryanov Street in Moscow

20 years ago, on the night of September 8-9, 1999, at 23.58, a powerful explosion occurred in the house No. 19 on Guryanov Street in Moscow. As a result, two entrances of a multi—storey building were completely destroyed - the blast wave split the building into two parts. 106 people were killed at the time of the explosion and its consequences, and 690 were injured of varying severity.

The version of the terrorist attack was a priority for the investigating authorities and soon it was fully confirmed. Experts of the FSB of Russia found that about two tons of hexogen exploded on the first floor of a residential building, in a rented room. The organizers of the terrorist attack were Emir Al-Khattab and Abu Umar, and the perpetrators were terrorists from groups operating in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

The masterminds of the terrible crime, Al-Khattab and Abu Umar, like most of the ordinary participants in the terrorist attack, were eliminated by Russian special services during special operations in the North Caucasus. The two surviving terrorists were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004.

After the rescue operation and investigative actions were completed, on September 19, 1999, the house No. 19 on Guryanov Street was completely destroyed by explosives experts. Two years later, four residential 25-storey buildings were erected in their place, and in 2003 a chapel-temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All the Sorrowing" was opened nearby, built with money donated by Muscovites.

It was just one of many terrorist attacks that rocked Russia in the 90s and early 2000s and claimed the lives of hundreds of Russians.