"Any person can leave his condolences in a book placed at southern entrance of the US embassy in Moscow, according to RIA “Novosti”.
The book was placed at 9 a.m. for everybody who wants to express compassion to the US people on the 9/11 tragedy. All that time Moscovites have been bringing flowers to the walls of the embassy. Among them there are many Americans who happened to be in Russia at the time of the tragedy. Every single minute new flowers were layed to the walls of the Embassy. When asked why they had come, the people answered : “Sympathy. All my family is shocked by the what happened”. There are icons, lit candles and a slogan “We are together with you” at the walls of the embassy."
I was at my office in the US Embassy on 11 September. A co-worker's wife called from the States and said a plane had crashed into the WTC. We thought it was a light aircraft, perhaps lost, that crashed into it. She called back a few minutes later to tell us another plane had crashed into the WTC and we all realized it was terrorists.
Later that evening Russians started leaving flowers and notes expressing their sympathy and outrage at what happened. By the next morning the whole length of the Embassy building on Novinsky Bulvar (the Old Embassy building - I have a fantastic picture of it, if someone could explain how to post pictures on here, I'll post it) was covered with flowers, candles, letters, and other items left behind by well wishers. Some of the more memorable ones was a wreath layed by members of the FSB's elite Alpha group. On the wreath was a pledge of support against terrorism. Another wreath was placed by disabled Afghan War veterans. Some letters of note were those placed by WWII veterans who recalled a time when we fought together as allies and also remembered US Aid to Russia in the form of the "Lend Lease" program. But the one thing that really stood out to me was when I was walking home a day or two after 11 September and I saw Moscow buses displaying small American flags in their front windshields. The drivers said they were all showing solidarity with Americans.
On September 12, our day in the office was spent answering phone calls from veterans groups, Duma reps, and Russian military members who called from all over Russia to express their sympathy and support. A Russian military laboratory, barely able to fund itself, volunteered to help with identifying the dead (they weren't needed).
Russian television coverage of the events was outstanding. There was none of the liberal "why do they hate us" handwringing that came from our press. It was all about the scourge of Islamic terrorism. Memorable quotes were "All they know how to do is destroy, they add nothing positive to mankind."
Great story by the way.