Moscow is preparing to hold funerals for most of the 39 people killed by Monday's double suicide bombings on the city's Metro¹ system.

莫斯科将为本周一两起地铁自杀式炸弹袭击中死亡的39位死者举行葬礼。

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Russians have been holding impromptu vigils for the victims of the blasts

Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov has said his group was behind the attacks.

In a video message posted on a Chechen rebel website, he said he had personally ordered the operation.

He said they were carried out to avenge³（报复，报仇） the killings⁴ of "poor Chechens" by Russian security forces in February and warned Russia to prepare for more.

Russian investigators⁵ have said they believe two female suicide bombers⁶ were linked to militants⁸ in the North Caucasus.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called on the security forces to "scrape（擦伤，刮） from the sewers⁹" those responsible.

In a separate development, at least 12 people, including a top local police official, were killed by two suicide bombings in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan（达吉斯坦） on Wednesday.

So far no-one has claimed responsibility for the Dagestan blasts.

Two of the victims of the Moscow attacks were buried outside the city on Wednesday, but the majority of the funerals are taking on Thursday.

Chilling message

It was not possible to confirm independently that the man in the video - posted on a rebel website - was Doku Umarov.

He said the Moscow attacks were an act of revenge for the killings of poor Chechen and Ingush civilians¹⁰ by the Russian security forces near the town of Arshty on 11 February.

He said the civilians were "massacred（残杀，屠杀） by Russian occupiers" as they were gathering¹¹ wild garlic（大蒜） to feed their families.

The rebel, who styles himself as the Emir（穆罕默德后裔的尊称） of the Caucasus Emirate, said attacks on Russian soil would continue.

"The war will come to your street... and you will feel it on your own skins," he warned Russian citizens in the video, which he said was recorded on Monday - just hours after the Metro attacks.

Earlier on Wednesday, Doku Umarov's spokesman had told Reuters that his militant⁷ group "did not carry out the attack in Moscow, and we don't know who did it".