SOCHI, September 14. /TASS/. The Kremlin has described as "telephone terrorism" the torrent of false bomb threat calls received in various Russian cities. President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the situation.
"It goes without saying that this is telephone terrorism, telephone hooliganism. The president was properly informed as soon as the string of outrageous phone calls began," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"The agencies and services concerned have been taking all necessary measures to track down those behind the phone threats. We are waiting for the results of their work," he added.
Peskov refrained from commenting on rumors about the likely source of the calls.
"It is absolutely pointless to make comments on these speculations," he said. "Interpretations will be hardly possible here. It is essential to wait for the concrete results of the measures being taken. It is inappropriate to discuss any versions. Let me say once again: this is telephone terrorism and there is no other way of describing it."
Russia’s intelligence services are probing bomb hoax calls across the country, no special instructions from the Kremlin are needed,he went on. He said ‘no’ to the question whether the Kremlin has given any instructions to concerned agencies in connection with a wave of telephone terrorism across Russia in the past few days. "This is the situation in which no additional instructions are needed. The intelligence services perform their functions doing all that is necessary in this situation," Peskov added.
He said Kremlin won’t be influencing the coverage of this issue by concerned agencies and federal TV channels. "Or course, as soon as results (of a probe into a chain bomb alert telephone calls) come, relevant agencies will inform the population about this. But this is not an easy job, it necessitates patience," Peskov went on. "As soon as the results come, they will be made public," he added.
A series of telephone threats about bombs allegedly planted at transport junctions, educational establishments, trade centers and administrative buildings rolled across Russia on Wednesday. In Moscow alone more than 100 sites were under alleged threat - railway stations, markets, hotels and trade centers. More than 50,000 people were evacuated. All threats were fakes.