Twin blasts rocked Russia"s North Caucasus...

Russia has been fighting militants in the North Caucasus for almost two decades, including two brutal wars against separatists in Chechnya. Analysts suggested that Monday"s attacks were revenge for a recent police operation that saw the deaths of over 20 radical Islamic fighters.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, there has been speculation that they may be linked to the death of the North Caucasian warlord, Alexander Tikhomirov, also known as Said Buryatsky, in an anti-terrorist police sweep earlier this month.

Tikhomirov was involved in the derailment of an express Moscow-St. Petersburg train in November, in which 27 people died.

The leading Russian business daily Kommersant said Tikhomirov was personally involved in training around 30 suicide bombers, nine of whom had already carried out suicide attacks.

MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti)