At least 38 people were killed Monday morning when two female Chechen separatists detonated their explosive belts on Moscow metro trains in the morning rush hour.
The first bomber hit central Lubyanka station at 0756 (0356 GMT), killing 24. A second explosion killed 14 at Park Kultury station in the southwest of the city.
Russian authorities are blaming Chechen separatists for the attack, which is no surprise considering their history.
Monday's suicide bombing is the first since August 2004, where a female suicide bomber killed 10 after blowing herself up on outside Rizhskaya station.
Chechen rebels have a long history of bombing Russia's transport infrastructure since fighting for independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The attack was both deadly and symbolic. The FSB, the successor to the KGB, has its headquarters situated above the Lubyanka station.
The Moscow metro is a symbol of Russian pride and is one of the busiest in the world, carrying seven million passengers a day.
Chechen separatist leader Doku Umarov has declared himself emir of the North Caucasus mountain range and has pledged to introduce Sharia law there.
Russia has fought two wars with Chechen separatists but declared the conflict to be over last year. However violence has since spread into neighbouring provinces Dagestan and Ingushetia.
Umarov declared responsibility for the bombing of the Moscow to Saint Petersburg Nevsky Express in November last year, warning that "the war is coming to their cities."
Women have a history of taking part in Chechen separatist attacks. They were among the group that held a Moscow theatre hostage in 2002 and the gang that took over a school in Beslan in 2004.
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