VOA标准英语2009年-Russian Authorities Investigating Trai

Ultranationalist group also claims responsibility, but investigators¹ say Chechen terrorists likely behind attack that killed 26, injured about 100 others

Anya Ardayeva | Moscow 11 December 2009

 
Russian officials say this bombing was the first deadly terrorist attack in Russia outside of the North Caucasus in five years

Russian investigators say Chechen separatists are most likely responsible for the deadly terrorist attack on a passenger train north of Moscow last month, but they have not ruled out other suspects.

Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for the attack soon after the bombing of the high-speed Nevsky Express between Moscow and St. Petersburg. But so did an ultra-nationalist group, and Russian investigators say they are examining both claims.

A member of the ultranationalist "Combat 18" group said in a statement posted on his blog that the group's fighters organized the attack.

But security analyst² Dmitri Trenin from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow says he agrees with authorities who believe Chechen separatists are responsible.

"There was a theory that ultranationalists may have a hand in that, but I find it less likely than the other people, terrorists with Caucasian connections, with connections from the Caucasus that is," Trenin said.

The train bombing killed 26 people and injured about 100 others. It was similar to an attack on the same train in 2007.

Back then, investigators concluded that a former military officer, Pavel Kosolapov, was responsible, and there are news reports tying him to the latest attack. He is connected with Chechen rebels and remains³ a fugitive⁴.

The most recent Chechen claim of responsibility was posted on the Internet on behalf of separatist leader Doku Umarov. Reports say he heads a network of separatist cells across Russia's volatile⁵ and mainly Muslim North Caucasus region that are fighting to break free from Moscow's rule.

Russian officials say this bombing was the first deadly terrorist attack in Russia outside of the North Caucasus in five years. In the North Caucasus, attacks on officials and law enforcement officers are a regular occurrence.

During his annual question-and-answer session with the public in early December, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said much has been done to contain terrorism in Russia, but he said the threat has not been eliminated. His critics say the way the government executes its policies in the region serves to fuel the terrorism in the Northern Caucasus.

"There's clearly a lack of professionalism on behalf of many police personnel and others in the region. There's this problem of clannish⁶ rivalry⁷ in the region, there's the problem of corruption⁸, which does not start in the North Caucasus," Trenin said. "Basically it starts in Moscow and goes all the way to the North Caucasus."

Days after the attack, several thousand people came to this state-sanctioned anti-terrorism rally in Moscow.

And despite Prime Minister Putin's request that the Russian public and security services be more vigilant⁹, for the people at this rally in Moscow, the threat of terrorism lives on.
 

1 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

5 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

6 clannish   

adj.排他的，门户之见的

参考例句：

• They were a clannish lot,not given to welcoming strangers.他们那帮人抱成一团，不怎么欢迎生人。
• Firms are also doggedly clannish on the inside.公司内部同时也具有极其顽固的排他性。

7 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。