Fear of terrorism: No New Year's Eve celebration on Red Square

Moscow's Red Square, a traditional gathering place for New Year's Eve celebrations, will remain closed to revelers on December 31, Russian authorities announced today, reports the Patria News Agency.

This year, police will not allow anyone to enter the square at the time when the Kremlin clock strikes midnight, announced Aleksey Mayorov, head of the security service in Moscow.

The official reason for this decision is the filming of a concert for the state-owned "Channel 1", which only a select audience will be able to attend.

Mayorov said that the police will inform everyone that Red Square is closed due to an event and that there are many other places in the city with good entertainment, reports AFP.

Additional security measures have been introduced in Moscow following the terrorist attacks in Paris in October.

- It is no secret that Moscow is one of the desired targets on the list for international terrorist attacks, Sergey Sobyanin said earlier this month.

Metal detectors have been installed at the entrances to shopping centers, and staff maintaining parking lots are allowed to check the trunks of suspicious cars.