MOSCOW, Russia — More than 15,000 people were evacuated Wednesday from several shopping centres, universities and train stations in Moscow after a series of bomb threats, Russian media reported.
A source in the emergency services told state-run TASS news agency that over 30 prominent locations including the famed GUM shopping centre on Red Square were temporarily emptied after anonymous telephone threats.
Interfax news agency cited a source as saying that over 15,000 people around the sprawling city were evacuated.
Neither the emergency services in Moscow nor the police could immediately confirm the incidents to AFP.
A representative for GUM told AFP that employees had been allowed back inside the building.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
The spate of threats came after two days of similar calls caused disruptions in cities across Russia, with the state-run RIA Novosti news service reporting some 45,000 people were evacuated nationwide.
No bombs were found at any of the locations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said the country’s intelligence services were investigating the threats.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this