Victims of the bombing atrocity in St Petersburg were identified today as the Russian authorities put the death toll at 14 with 51 wounded - four of them in a critical condition.

Well-known doll-maker Irina Medyantseva, 50, was among those killed in the bloodbath after an explosion ripped apart a carriage on the underground railway.

She threw herself over her daughter Yelena, 29, and in doing so saved her life, according to reports today. Yelena underwent surgery last night and is now in intensive care.

It comes as Russian citizen Akbarzhon Jalilov, 22, who was born in ex-Soviet state Kyrgyzstan, has been named by security services as the suspected bomber who also planted a second device hidden in a fire extinguisher that failed to explode.

Well-known doll-maker Irina Medyantseva (pictured), 50, was among those killed in the bloodbath after an explosion ripped apart a carriage on the underground railway in St Petersburg. She died saving her daughter

Medyantseva threw herself over her daughter Yelena, 29, and in doing so saved her life, according to reports today. Yelena is pictured, left, with a black choker necklace and, right, with a red skirt

Also killed in the lethal shrapnel bomb in the city's metro was Dilbara Alieva (pictured), 20, from Azerbaijan, who died from injuries at hospital after the terror attack

Yelena's father Alexander Medyantsev said this morning: 'Yelena was accompanying her mother who was on the way to Veliky Novgorod town.

'I managed to talk to my daughter after her surgery when she recovered from the anaesthesia. She said that they jumped into the carriage at the last moment.

'A minute later there was an explosion. Mother died in front of her. I have lost my beloved wife.'

Also killed in the lethal shrapnel bomb in the city's metro was Dilbara Alieva, 20, from Azerbaijan, who died from injuries at hospital after the terror attack.

The head of one passenger, Maxim Aryshev, 22, from Kazakhstan, was torn off in the explosion. Initially there were claims he was a suicide bomber but this was later discounted.

Aryshev was a regular visitor to St Petersburg, and last year had visited with his girlfriend. Others killed in the horror were identified as Yury Nalimov, 71 and Kseniya Milyukova, 18.

Maxim Aryshev (pictured), 22, from Kazakhstan, was also killed in the explosion. Initially there were claims he was a suicide bomber but this was later discounted

Also wounded was 15-year-old Alexandra Zyablitskaya from Barnaul in Siberia. She had been to the city on a sightseeing tour with her grandmother

Psychologist Nadezhda Sosedova (pictured), 53, narrowly escaped death as she dozed in the bomb-hit metro carriage in St Petersburg

Student nurse Ksenia Malyukova, 18, was killed in the St Petersburg metro blast, her tutors said today.

A male friend Alexei friend said of her: 'She was a great person with soul of an angel.

'She was caring and hard-working. It's such a tragedy that her dreams won't come true.'

Svetlana Ilatovskaya, deputy director of St Petersburg Obstetrics College, where she studied, said: 'She was smart, goal-seeking, studying to become a nurse.

'There is now a memorial at the college with her photos, words of sorrow, flowers, candles, and her student card on a table nearby.'

Student nurse Ksenia Malyukova (pictured), 18, was killed in the St Petersburg metro blast, her tutors said today

Also wounded was 15-year-old Alexandra Zyablitskaya from Barnaul in Siberia. She had been to the city on a sightseeing tour with her grandmother.

Psychologist Nadezhda Sosedova, 53, narrowly escaped death as she dozed in the bomb-hit metro carriage in St Petersburg.

'It happened so suddenly,' she said. 'I was sitting and snoozing. Suddenly something hit me on the head, there was a fire, my hair was burning, I managed to put it out.

'When we arrived at Technologichesky Institut station the doors were so crumpled that it was impossible to get out.

WOMAN FURIOUSLY DENIES HER BOYFRIEND BLEW HIMSELF UP The girlfriend of Maxim Aryshev today angrily denied that he blew himself up in the St Petersburg metro attack. Alexandra Rybalchenko, 20, refuses to believe he is dead despite macabre evidence he was beheaded by the blast in the atrocity. But she has furiously hit out at earlier reports that Aryshev, 22, from Kazakhstan, was a suicide bomber. 'Maxim was going back home for lunch after his studies,' she said. Aryshev (left) was a regular visitor to St Petersburg, and last year had visited with his girlfriend Alexandra Rybalchenko (right) 'He is a third year student of St Petersburg Economics University. He had four lectures yesterday but he decided to go back home after the third one. 'He had to take metro from Nevsky Prospekt to Frunzenskaya. 'Together with his mate, Maxim went down to the metro but they entered different carriages. Last time we were in touch at about 2.30pm and then I got to know about the explosion. 'He is a sociable and good guy, and all that has been written about him in press - I don't even want to talk about it. 'We are shocked, it is so low and disgusting. We know Maxim was not a suicide bomber.' This has been backed by the Kazakhstan security service which revealed the Russians have informed them that Aryshev was NOT a bomber. 'We called all hospitals and morgues, but there is no information,' she said. 'He is not among those victims who were already officially identified.' Alexandra Rybalchenko, 20, refuses to believe Maxim Aryshev is dead despite macabre evidence he was beheaded by the blast in the atrocity Rybalchenko (right) has furiously hit out at earlier reports that Aryshev (left), 22, from Kazakhstan, was a suicide bomber She said: 'We were told that there will be more information will be in a few hours, we can only wait.' The couple have been going out for around 18 months. The Kazakh authorities have denied that Aryshev was a suicide bomber. He was a third year student of St. Petersburg Economic University, who lived in the city with his girlfriend, and her sister and brother. Nurgali Bilisbekov, chairman of the Kazakh committee for national security, said: 'I'd like to say that this information is not accurate,' he said. 'He was never on our watch list, and our partners from Russian intelligence do not consider him as a perpetrator of the terrorist attack. 'Most likely, he is a victim of the terrorist attack who was at the very heart of the explosion.' Advertisement

'Some young men pushed out the window and dragged me out. I was helped other passengers.

'I was talking to injured people, I am a psychologist, I was helping them to get to an ambulance.

'There were many contused people, all were scared, those who were closer to the epicentre of the explosion were all covered in blood of dead people. I was just the lucky one.'

It emerged today that Russian security services knew about a possible attack in St Petersburg and were tracking suspected bombers, according to Kommersant newspaper.

A Russian source in ISIS, detained returning from Syria, had given several identities of suspects, and their mobile numbers.

'Special services had mobile numbers of the alleged terrorists and by following them, they found that all their SIM cards were bought on markets and were not linked to real people.

'So all they had were the terrorists phone chats which they listened to, hoping to either locate them or at least get to know details of their plans.'

Suspected bomber: Russian citizen Akbarzhon Jalilov, 22, left, who was born in Kyrgyzstan, has been named by security services as the suspected bomber who also planted a second device that failed to explode. CCTV images of the suspect (right) have been released and shows him in a red Parka jacket and carrying a rucksack

The image shows a man in a red Parka jacket, wearing glasses and a dark green beanie hat and carrying a rucksack on his back

The horrifying pictures show bodies, blood wreckage and debris strewn across the carriage of the train, which was hit by the blast while travelling between Sennaya Ploshchad and Sadovaya metro stations.

These are the first images showing carnage inside the carriage of a St Petersburg metro train after a nail bomb exploded inside - killing 11 people and injuring 50

An FSB source told the newspaper that a second unexploded bomb, at Ploshad Vosstaniya, was filled with metal balls and coins.

It was reported to be up to five times as powerful as the first one, according to Novaya Gazeta.

Both bombs were supposed to go off at a call from mobile phone. The explosive was made based on nitre, according to first reports.

The terrorist who had been due to set off the second bomb 'panicked' after his mobile failed to work, a source told Kommersant.

He left a bag containing the bomb under a bench. The authorities had blocked the suspects' phones after the first explosion.

There were claims today that one suspect had visited a mosque before entering the metro at Gorkovskaya station, according to Life.ru

A woman crouches over a man who has been injured in the blast as they are surrounded by carnage and blood

A man was seen on the ground on the platform after a bomb blast ripped through a metro carriage in the city of St Petersburg

Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid flowers in tribute to the victims of the St Petersburg bomb attack

Pictures screened on national television showed the door of a train carriage blown out, as bloodied bodies lay strewn on a station platform.

This morning, it emerged that a key suspect in the St Petersburg bombing was born in the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Rakhat Sulaymanov, the spokesman for the country's secret service, said: 'It was established, that the suspect in this act of terror was born in our republic.'

He named him as Akbarjon Djalilov... born in 1995.

'It is probable that he acquired Russian nationality,' he said.

The Kazakhstan authorities also reported they are aiding Russian law enforcement.

A Russian Interior Ministry source told Life.ru: 'All regional departments of the Interior Ministry, FSB and Russian Guards have received pictures and descriptions for two alleged terrorists. Despite this, we do not exclude that it was a group.'

Security has been intensified around Russia, said reports.

Thousands of policemen and FSB in civil clothes have been deployed in St Petersburg's shopping centres, railway stations, airports - and other areas with crowds of people, reported Life.ru

Russian president Vladimir Putin puts flowers down outside Tekhnologicheskiy Institut metro station in St Petersburg

Russian President Vladimir Putin was back in his hometown of St Petersburg today to meet with the president of Belarus

Smoke fills the air at the platform of the metro station after a nail bomb was detonated in St Petersburg

They have been issued with pictures of two suspected terrorists.

An FSB source said: 'Pictures of the terrorist were passed to border control and check points in the regions of Leningrad, Murmansk, Pskov, and the Republic of Karelia.'

These regions have borders with Finland, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

'Not only police squads but military units in all regional centres are on the highest alert,' said a police source.

'All regional police stations are ordered to work through every private house in their area.'

As the city prepared to mark three days of mourning, President Putin, who was holding a summit with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko at the time of the attack, placed a bouquet of red flowers at the entrance to a metro station.

'The president is constantly provided with the latest updates by the security services and investigative bodies,' said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

He said US President Donald Trump called Putin to extend condolences after the blast in St. Petersburg.

'Donald Trump extended deep condolences to the families of those who were killed in a barbaric terror attack in St. Petersburg subway, and asked to pass on words of encouragement to the Russian people,' he said.

An injured passenger is helped by emergency services outside Sennaya Ploshchad metro station, following an explosion on a train in St. Petersburg

A second bomb, disguised as a fire extinguisher and packed with ball-bearings, was found and defused at a nearby station

An injured person walks outside Sennaya Ploshchad metro station with a blood-drenched coat and red hands

'The presidents consider terrorism to be an evil that should be tackled in a concerted effort.'

The St Petersburg metro was re-opened and would be fully operational on Tuesday, said city officials.

Last night images emerged showing carnage inside the carriage of the metro train after a nail bomb exploded inside.

The horrifying pictures show bodies, blood, wreckage and debris strewn across the carriage of the train, which was hit by the blast while travelling between Sennaya Ploshchad and Sadovaya metro stations.

KYRGYZSTAN: A HOTBED OF ISLAMIST TERROR Kyrgyzstan, a predominantly Muslim nation of six million, is a close political ally of the Kremlin and even hosts a Russian military airbase. But this morning it emerged that Akbarzhon Jalilov, the man suspected of being behind the St Petersburg massacre, was born in the Central Asian country. Previously, terror attacks on Russia have been blamed on Chechen rebels and, more recently, ISIS fanatics. But up to 500 jihadists from Kyrgyzstan, which borders China, thousands of miles south east of St Petersburg, are believed to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS. At least 7,000 nationals from former Soviet countries, including 2,900 Russians, have been recruited by Islamists in the terror group's so-called caliphate, according to Russia's FSB intelligence service - and there are fears some are now returning with the intention of carrying out attacks. It is not the first time Kyrgyzstan nationals have been linked to terror attacks. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was born in Kyrgyzstan, was convicted of planting bombs at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, together with his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Kyrgyzstan, a predominantly Muslim nation of six million, is a close political ally of the Kremlin and even hosts a Russian military airbase. But this morning it emerged that Akbarzhon Jalilov, the man suspected of being behind the St Petersburg massacre, was born in the Central Asian country In 2015, ISIS fanatics said they were responsible for bombing a Russian MetroJet plane flying from Egypt to St Petersburg killing all 217 on board St. Petersburg, like Moscow, is home to a large diaspora of Central Asian migrants who flee poverty and unemployment in their home countries for jobs in Russia. While most Central Asian migrants in Russia have work permits or work illegally, thousands of them have received Russian citizenship in the past decades. Russian authorities have rejected calls to impose visas on Central Asian nationals, hinting that having millions of jobless men across the border from Russia would be a bigger security threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday investigators are examining all causes for the blast in St Petersburg yesterday including terrorism. And while no-one has yet come forward to claim responsibility, the country's security services have previously said they had foiled 'terrorist attacks' on Moscow's public transport system by militants. An attack on St Petersburg, Russia's old imperial capital, would have some symbolic force for any militant group, especially ISIS or Chechen secessionist rebels. ISIS, which has drawn recruits from the ranks of Chechen rebels, has also threatened attacks across Russia in retaliation for the Kremlin's military intervention in war-torn Syria. Russia has been on particular alert against radicalised Chechen militants returning from the battlefield in Syria - and wary of any attempts to resume attacks that dogged the country several years ago. Just days ago, the Kremlin said authorities had detained one of the attackers who carried out a deadly strike on a military base in Chechnya, in which six soldiers and six rebels died. ISIS claimed responsibility for the March 24 attack, which targeted a base of Russia's National Guard, a new branch of troops which answers directly to Putin and is tasked with defending borders and counter extremism. Over 330 people, half of them children, were killed in 2004 when police stormed a school in Beslan, southern Russia after a hostage taking by Islamist militants It came two years after ISIS fanatics said they were responsible for bombing a Russian MetroJet plane flying from Egypt to St Petersburg killing all 217 on board. In 2013, the southern city of Volgograd was hit by twin suicide strikes that claimed 34 lives and raised alarm over security at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. A bombing at the main railway station killed 18 people on while a second strike hit a trolleybus and claimed 16 lives. Days later a statement and video claiming responsibility for the bombings was posted on the website of Vilayat Dagestan, a subgroup of the militant jihadist group Caucasus Emirate. A suicide raid on Moscow's Domodedovo airport that was claimed by Islamic insurgents from the North Caucasus killed 37 people in January 2011. That strike was claimed by the Caucasus Emirate movement of Islamist warlord Doku Umarov. The same airport in August 2004 saw Islamic suicide bombers board two planes and bring them down, killing a total of 90 people. A suicide raid on Moscow's Domodedovo airport that was claimed by Islamic insurgents from the North Caucasus killed 37 people in January 2011. That strike was claimed by the Caucasus Emirate movement of Islamist warlord Doku Umarov (pictured) In March 2010, two suicide bombings in the Moscow subway killed 40 people and wounded more than 100 people. Umarov claimed responsibility for that attack by two female suicide bombers, warning Russian leaders that 'the war is coming to their cities.' The high-speed Moscow-to-St. Petersburg train was also bombed on November 27, 2009, in an attack that left 26 dead and some 100 injured. Umarov's group also said he ordered this attack. A previous attempt on the rail line in 2007 caused more than two dozen injuries but no deaths. In October 2005: Islamic militants launch a series of attacks on police in Nalchik, capital of the tense Kabardino-Balkariya republic near Chechnya. Chechen rebels claimed credit for the attack, in which 139 people were killed, including 94 militants. A year earlier, in September 2004, about 30 Chechen militants seized a school in the southern town of Beslan and took hundreds of hostages - a siege that ended in a bloodbath two days later. More than 330 people, about half of them children, were killed. A month earlier, a suicide bomber blew herself up outside a Moscow subway station, killing 10 people. It followed an attack in the capital during rush hour in February in which a suicide bomber struck a subway car, killing 41 people and injuring more than 100. In October, 2002, Chechen militants took 800 people hostage at a Moscow theatre. Two days later, Russian special forces stormed the building and 129 hostages and 41 Chechen fighters were killed, mostly from the effects of narcotic gas Russian forces used to subdue the attackers In December 2003 another suicide bombing on a commuter train in southern Russia killed 44 people, two days before the Russian parliamentary elections. A year earlier, in October, 2002, Chechen militants took 800 people hostage at a Moscow theatre. Two days later, Russian special forces stormed the building and 129 hostages and 41 Chechen fighters were killed, mostly from the effects of narcotic gas Russian forces used to subdue the attackers. In August 1999, four apartment building bombings killed about 300 people in Moscow and two other Russian cities. The Kremlin named the attacks as a key reason for sending troops back into Chechnya the following month. Chechnya was the scene of two separatist wars in the 1990s and early 2000s, but violence in the region has largely been suppressed under the iron-fisted rule of strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Putin, as prime minister, launched a 1999 campaign to crush a separatist government in the Muslim southern region of Chechnya, and as president continued a hard line in suppressing rebellion. Advertisement

Police in Russia now believe a bomber, who has close links to radical Islamists, was behind the attack.

He was described as being a 22-year-old from central Asia and CCTV images of the suspect have been released.

One image shows a man in a red Parka jacket, wearing glasses and a dark green beanie hat and carrying a rucksack on his back. Another CCTV image shows the suspected bomber walking along the street with both his fists clenched.

Despite initially issuing search warrants for two suspected terrorists, authorities believe the suspected bomber was behind the attack and also have intelligence to suggest he planted a second explosive device - disguised as a fire extinguisher - which was found and defused at a nearby station.