DATE=05/09/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-289606

TITLE=RUSSIA / EXPLOSION (L-O)

BYLINE=REBECCA SANTANA

DATELINE=MOSCOW

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

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INTRO: An explosion in a small Russian town has killed at least 20 people and injured almost 100 during a celebration marking the end of World War Two. V-O-A's Rebecca Santana reports from Moscow.

TEXT: The blast occurred (Thursday) in the Dagestani town of Kaspiisk, along the Caspian Sea, north of Azerbaijan.

Russian news media report that a bus carrying a military band was on its way to a celebration commemorating the end of the war when a land mine - hidden in bushes - exploded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack, and said there is no doubt it was a terrorist attack. He said Russian officials will find and punish those guilty of the explosion.

The first deputy prosecutor from Dagestan, Haibula Aliev, arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion.

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Mr. Aliev said many military personnel were hurt in the attack as well as civilians, including children and the elderly.

Russian television showed pictures of the area where the explosion occurred, with flowers and band equipment strewn across the ground.

The Russian republic of Dagestan, where the explosion occurred, borders the breakaway region of Chechnya where rebels are fighting Russian troops for independence.

The fighting in Chechnya often spills over into Dagestan. Dagestan has been the site of numerous small-scale bombings, although Thursday's explosion was one of the most deadly in years. Russian authorities have blamed previous explosions on Chechen rebels from the breakaway region.

The blast came as people across Russia were celebrating the 57th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe. An estimated 25-million Soviet citizens lost their lives during the war and it is one of the most important holidays in Russia.

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In Moscow, thousands of Russian troops and veterans gathered on Red Square to remember the end of the war and those who died.

President Putin addressed the crowd in Moscow and congratulated veterans on their victory. The Russian president added that that while the Nazis were defeated, there are new threats in the world such as terrorism. (Signed)

NEB/RS/JWH