Moscow: Blaming Chechen leaders for the Moscow metro train blast that left about 40 people dead and over 120 injured, Russian President Vladimir Putin today (Feb 6, 2004) ruled out talks with the "terrorists".

"Russia does not hold talks with the terrorists, it destroys them," Putin declared at a Kremlin news conference.

He said he was confident that Chechnya's separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov was behind today's terror attack.

"I do not rule out that the terrorist attack will be used in the domestic politics, in the political debates as a lever to mount pressure on the head of the state," said Putin, who is seeking re-election in March 14 polls.

According to reports many of the passengers of the ill-fated train had to walk up to two kilometres in the smoke-filled tunnel and were hospitalised due to severe burns.

The train driver stopped it after hearing blast and told the control centre to immediately switch off high voltage running through the tracks.

Panic was avoided to a great extent due to the presence of an officer of the civil defence service among the passengers, who professionally organised the evacuation of the passengers, Moscow deputy mayor Shantsev said.

The authorities had pressed into ambulance helicopters to airlift seriously injured.

Meanwhile, the security services have been put on full alert and "Vulcan" special operation has been launched to protect metro networks in all the Russian cities with underground railway network, NTV reported.

In Moscow all the police force is out to man crucial transport hubs and underground railway network.