BOSP Discusses Russia Program After March Metro Bombings

On March 29, it was a typical Monday morning in Moscow when hundreds of Russians filed into the Lubyanka and Park Kultury metro train stations to commute to work. Then disaster struck.

Suicide bombers — later identified as two females by Russia’s FSB security service — detonated explosives in the busy train stations, killing 39 people and sending shock waves throughout Russia — even some that had reverberations 5,000 miles away at Stanford.

For Stanford’s Bing Overseas Studies (BOSP) program, which has an outpost in Russia’s capital city, and many Stanford students previously in the Moscow program, the recent round of suicide attacks struck close to home.

“As best we know there are no Stanford students in Moscow, at least no Stanford students associated in any way with our program,” said Norman Naimark, the executive director of BOSP and a history professor.

Stanford’s Moscow program is only offered in the fall.

“The Stanford Center in Moscow has always been paying special attention to the safety of students coming to Moscow,” said Moscow director, Alexander Abashkin. “At the same time, the situation is not specific to Russia; it’s sad, but we also recall the terror attacks on New York City, Madrid, London, Mumbai, [Tokyo] and quite a few similar tragedies around the world.”

Still, the bombings were a jarring experience for Stanford overseas administrators perennially concerned with safety and for students who, only months ago, called the city home.

“Someone sent out a newsflash on the Moscow chat list,” said Shine Zaw-Aung ‘11, who participated in last fall’s Moscow program. “It was shocking. It was weird to go on to The New York Times [website] and see the carnage of the trains I used to take everyday. I passed through both stations that were bombed.”

For Ksenia Galouchko ‘10, a participant in last fall’s Moscow program and a resident of the city, the bombings were particularly shocking.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense that they blew up those stations because they are central stations, but there are more people at other stations,” Galouchko said. “So it was not about killing the most people, but about making a statement.”

In light of the recent violence, BOSP is closely eyeing the political situation in Moscow to ensure the safety of all students who participate in the program. BOSP, however, will not be making any significant changes to the safety implementation program already in place. Under the current safety-education system, BOSP educates students about the potential dangers in Moscow as part of their regular pre-trip orientation and through numerous seminars after their arrival in the city.

“I can tell you student safety is our highest priority,” Naimark said. “We do not live in a completely safe world. We have concerns about student safety everywhere. We just experienced a serious earthquake in Santiago. I don’t think we will necessarily make any changes in our program as a consequence of this Moscow metro bombing.”

“Obviously, if something happens between now and next fall, we will have to think about further actions,” he added.

Naimark is traveling to Moscow in May with Abashkin, where the two will further assess the situation.

Abashkin noted that the host of the Moscow program, the Academy of National Economy, is enclosed by walls and requires a special pass just to enter, keeping Stanford students safer than they would be elsewhere. He also noted that in response to the recent attacks, security has been heightened all over the city.

“The increased police and security force presence is going to be reassuring to us,” said Jack Kollmann, a lecturer in the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and one of the scheduled faculty-in-residence for next fall. “If I were worried about safety, my wife and I would not be going.”

In his more than 50 years of experience spending time in Moscow and other areas of Russia, the worst problem Kollmann has encountered has been pick-pocketing; he said that March’s bombings do not drastically alter his security concerns.

“Terrorism can happen anywhere,” Kollmann said. “Students need to be briefed on how to be safe in a big city. It’s making sure that all students are advised on how to be street-smart in a big city. Overseas Studies is not about to send students into a situation they or the State Department think is dangerous.”

Former Moscow students seem to agree with Kollmann, Naimark and Abashkin about the situation, noting that terrorism is a constant threat, wherever you are.

“If they cancelled the program that would have been the stupidest thing because you can’t prevent these things,” Galouchko said. “You have to be prepared that there will be violence and there will be dangerous parts of any big city. Terrorist attacks could and did happen in other cities. It’s chance.”

“Every big city has problems,” Zaw-Aung agreed. “It has always been hard to prevent terrorist attacks on the metro. It’s Russia; it’s not lacking in security.”

Yet BOSP is taking Moscow’s political context particularly into account before it sends another round of Stanford students to Moscow next fall.

“Are we concerned about the situation in the future?” Abashkin said. “Yes, we are. The terrorist threat continues to exist. And the next attack can happen anywhere. We here in Moscow and my colleagues at BOSP are closely watching the situation. We hope there will be no situations in the future that will affect the Stanford-in-Moscow program. However if any such situation occurs we’ll be seriously thinking about our next steps.”

Kollmann expressed confidence in BOSP’s attention to safety issues.

“[Bing] Overseas Studies has a lot of experience abroad, including in dangerous situations,” Kollmann said. “I trust them to assess the situation.”