Second blast hits Russia,kills 15

Investigators said they believed a male suicide bomber set off the blast,a day after a similar attack killed at least 17 in the main rail station.

The blue and white trolleybus was reduced to a twisted,gutted carcass. Bodies were strewn across the street as Russians prepared to celebrate New Year.

Windows in nearby apartments were blown out by the blast,which Russias foreign ministry condemned as part of a global terrorist campaign and welcomed a declaration of solidarity made on Sunday by the UN Security Council.

For the second day,we are dying. Its a nightmare, a woman near the scene told Reuters,her voice trembling as she held back tears. What are we supposed to do,just walk now?

Identical shrapnel to that in the rail station indicated the two bombs were linked,investigators said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Meanwhile,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned the ghastly terrorist attack and conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin condolences for the victims.

In a letter,Singh termed the attacks as unconscionable crime against humanity and said he was outraged and pained to know about them.

Russia-chechnya conflict

Chechnya is one of 21 republics among 89 regions that make up the Russian Federation.

Chechens are a Muslim people,who fought hard to avoid being incorporated into the Russian empire,but finally lost the battle in the 19th Century.

When the Soviet Union began to collapse in 1991,Chechnya tried to break away from Russia by declaring independence.

Russias defeat

Russian air attacks devastated Chechen capital Grozny in 1995

Moscow first sent tanks to Chechnya,to topple its separatist leaders and curb organised crime,at the end of 1994

Russian forces were routed in first battle and ultimately driven out of Chechnya in Aug 1996

They were sent back in 1999 by Vladimir Putin after 300 people died in a chain of bombings blamed on Chechens.

Chechen rebels had also provoked Moscow by inciting an Islamist uprising in Dagestan

Islam

Russia,US say rebels have links to Islamic terrorists,such as al-Qaeda,but not all experts agree

Brutality

Rebels killed and beheaded civilians,bombed transport.

Rights groups have accused Russian troops of torture,rape