President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) compared Ukraine’s incursion into Russia to the tragic events of the 2004 Beslan school massacre, where around 330 individuals lost their lives during a hostage crisis.
During his visit to the school after nearly two decades, Mr. Putin paid his respects to the victims at various memorial sites, including the cemetery and the location of the demolished school where Chechen militants held over 1,000 people captive.
While meeting with mothers who had lost their children in the siege, Mr. Putin expressed that Russia’s adversaries are once again attempting to destabilize the nation, specifically referencing Ukraine.
He stated, “Just as we combated terrorism in the past, we must now combat those perpetrating crimes in the Kursk region,” in relation to Ukraine’s recent cross-border aggression.
Mr. Putin reassured, “Just as we successfully tackled terrorism, we will also prevail in this endeavor against neo-Nazis,” while sitting across from three members of the Mothers of Beslan organization.
He affirmed, “And we will certainly bring the culprits to justice, without a shadow of a doubt.”
The Mothers of Beslan group has persistently demanded a thorough investigation into the attack and the Russian government’s response.
The siege in September 2004 lasted approximately 50 hours, concluding with a shootout when Russian special forces entered the premises following explosions in the school gym where the hostages were held.
The siege occurred in North Ossetia in the Caucasus region amidst a guerilla war led by Islamist Chechen separatists, labelled as “terrorists” by Mr. Putin.
Mr. Putin initiated a significant military operation to suppress Chechnya’s armed pursuit for independence in late 1999, just prior to assuming the presidency.
The conflict against the Chechen insurgency contributed to Putin’s initial rise in popularity, although he later described the Beslan siege in late 2019 as a “personal anguish” that would forever haunt him.
Both Mr. Putin and the Kremlin faced criticism for their handling of the crisis at the time.
‘Personal anguish’
During the meeting with Mr. Putin, the Mothers of Beslan raised concerns that Russia’s inquiry into the school siege remained unresolved, as reported by co-chairwoman Aneta Gadiyeva to the Agentstvo outlet.
This portion of the discussion was not broadcasted, unlike Putin’s statements regarding Ukraine.
Gadiyeva mentioned that Putin acknowledged his lack of knowledge on the matter and assured the women he would involve the head of the Investigative Committee.
In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights declared that Russia’s handling of the siege exhibited “serious deficiencies” in preventing the attack and using excessive lethal force, urging Moscow to take corrective actions to ascertain the truth.
The incident occurred two years after Chechen fighters seized hundreds of hostages in a Moscow theatre, resulting in more than 130 fatalities—primarily due to sleeping gas released by Russian special forces.
On Tuesday (August 20, 2024), Mr. Putin placed red roses at the base of a monument in the cemetery, where he bowed in reverence to “honor the memory of the victims of the terrorist attack,” as stated by the Kremlin press service.
He also laid red roses at a memorial dedicated to the fallen members of Russia’s special forces during the assault on School Number One.
An “international cultural and patriotic center for counterterrorism” has been established at the former school site, as reported by the Kremlin’s press service on Telegram.
