Lawyer offers cut price Moscow terror settlement

Faced with an uphill legal battle to win damages for victims of last autumn’s terrorist raid on a Moscow theatre, their lawyer has offered a cut price out-of-court deal

Igor Trunov represents a total of 81 plaintiffs – both those who suffered three days as hostages at the hands of Chechen rebels, and those whose relatives were among the 129 hostages who were killed.

Before the last 20 joined the suit, the plaintiffs were demanding nearly €60m, an unprecedented damage award for Russia.

Trunov said today he had sent a letter to the city government offering to bring down the damage award sought to no less than €46,000 per plaintiff.

He said he had come up with the figure using the example of the families of the seamen who were killed when the Kursk nuclear submarine exploded and sank. Each was paid about €23,000.

“But the victims of the terrorist act at the Dubrovka (theatre) were civilians, not obliged to risk their lives,” Trunov said.

“That’s why the sum should be somewhat higher but in accordance with the level of suffering of each.”