Underground Moscow #5 - Pushka

The granddaddy of all downtown Moscow underpasses is the one underneath Pushkin Square. This was the site of one of the earlier apparent terrorist attacks in Moscow - a bombing in August of 2000. I say "apparent" because Chechen or other terrorist involvement was never conclusively proven, and the underground kiosks are a source of protection racket income for organized crime, or at least for the private security companies (singular is ChOP, or chastnoe okhrannoe predpriiatie, in Russian) that serve as legal cover for OC groups, so there was some speculation that the bombing was actually a mafia turf dispute or even an FSB operation.

In one story about the bombing, the Moscow Times noted that "The underpass, where three metro lines converge on Tverskaya Ulitsa, is lined with kiosks selling flowers, cosmetics, CDs, books and gifts. It is one of the most popular shopping and meeting places in the city." This brings me closer to the story I hope to tell with the photos below (note that I don't have a good photo at this time of the memorial to the bombing victims - I may post one later) - not one about a bombing and people living in fear, but one about people engaging in ingenious and industrious commercial activity and creating a bustling hive of activity underneath the equally busy streets.


Descending into the underground from the direction of the
entrance to the Chekhovskaya metro station. A security
guard takes a smoke break and an elderly lady sells pine
branches to anyone feeling Christmasy (December 21).


A city worker cleaning up the underpass late at night
after all the kiosks have closed (December 19).


Looking up from one of the underpass's staircases to Pushkin
Square proper, that is to say, the patch of asphalt where
the great poet's statue actually stands (December 21).


Looking down into the underpass, on the same staircase
as in the above photo. Note the traffic cop and his little
booth, at right (December 21).


Kiosks selling telephone cards, stockings, perfume, and
leather goods (the latter two categories of items are likely
knock-offs, but who can tell the difference?) (December 18).


Kiosks selling CD's, hot pastries, and flowers (December 18).


My usual entrance to the Pushkin Square
underpass, with the ever-present flower vendor
and two teenage girls smoking and coversing on
the stairs (December 25).

Some readers have asked about the point of this "Underground Moscow" series. There are three major reasons why I find the underpasses to be deserving of special attention, and they are all rather simplistic: 1) there is nothing like the Moscow underpasses in any US city where I have ever lived or spent any appreciable amount of time, so I think there may be some curiosity value in these images for Americans who haven't been to Moscow; 2) I think the underpasses are quite photogenic, or at least provide a sort of frame for the activity within them; and 3) they are a good place to capture average Muscovites going about their daily lives without freaking them out. Secondary reasons why I bother with taking, uploading, and captioning these photos are as follows: 1) Ex-expats no longer in Moscow may be nostalgic for these places and images, and I know I will be looking back at them wistfully once I'm no longer here; 2) when it is cold and/or raining outside, it's warmer and easier on one's camera to photograph in a covered area.

If you think this series is a waste of bandwidth, let me know - that's what the comment feature is for. But for all the reasons above, I'll probably continue it - there is no limit to the amount of underpasses in this city.