Beslan School Hostage Crisis

[Jagged_552]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but I need some information on this particular hostage crisis for research paper in my disaster management and terrorism class. I trying to get an idea in what went wrong during the rescue operation (if that is what is was....) and why certain munitions/ordinance was used.

I all ready got some stuff of the web but some input from our Russian members/ counter-terror experts would be nice as a lot of the info out there is still classified by the Russian government or is falsified. Any input/help would be appreciated.

[ar15]

The soldiers did the best they could. Explosives placed by the terrorists over top of the children (in the gym) probably made the situation worse. RIP to the children and soldiers killed.

[Hast2]

There were too many civilians with guns(like parents, ect), they became impatient and started(tried to) the assault by themselves, so Special Forces had to follow, because in that chaos the terrorists could start to kill the children and detonate the bombs(and they did, actually), thinking what it's so to say 'official' assault.

It was a tragedy.

Watch this :

http://russianremote.com/685.html

[Jagged_552]

RIP to the innocent

I read in a couple reports that some of the bombs that the terrorists used did not go off, but that the majority of the deaths were attributed to a fire of unknown origin on the gymnasium roof where most of the hostages were kept. Also I've heard that the troops used fuel-air explosives (such as RPO-A shmel, the RPG-26 with RShG-2 warheads, and other weapons not suited for hostage rescue) in the assault. Would you say that poor security and coordination (I heard that FSB, MVD and the army were all there) was to partly to blame as well?

[deadskull]

RIP to the innocent
Also I've heard that the troops used fuel-air explosives (such as RPO-A shmel, the RPG-26 with RShG-2 warheads, and other weapons not suited for hostage rescue) in the assault. Would you say that poor security and coordination (I heard that FSB, MVD and the army were all there) was to partly to blame as well?
hmhmmh....Im sure if anyone fired a schmel into the building people would notice. CNN definitely would. You can't just ignore a huge fiery implosion in a building.

[Jagged_552]

That would be true, but fired canisters were found in surrounding buildings around the school. Another interesting thing was that media coverage about the whole thing was kinda repressed in Russia, also the origin of the first explosion is a topic of controversy as some say the terrorists accidentally detonated their bombs while others maintain that the initial explosion was done by special forces to breach the wall.

[zxc]

I might remember wrong but werent there BMP's or tanks that blew up some outside walls of the school so soldiers could enter? Anyway, soldiers did the best they could. And remember these terrorist werent just some boys with toys. They were a seriously well-trained chechen terrorists.

btw, i think that a terrorist accidently blew up a explosive device or something. after that the assault followd.

RIP

[Dominique]

There's a thread floating around here with info on the rescue operation, and links to a couple of English news articles on the actual rescue operation. As far as my personal opinion goes, it would have been extremely hard for the Russians to get all the hostages out no matter what had happened.

[Vympel]

Russians failed to clear area from civilians that thing ruined everything.

[Jagged_552]

Hmm.... I tried to do a search on a pre-existing thread with beslan crisis in it but I got nothin. If you know where that thread is please give me a link to it.

The armed civilian population was a bit of a problem as there were relatives among them who wanted to take matters in to their own hands. Besides all the other problems with the rescue operation, why wasnt there adequate fire and medical help on scene? I heard that some firemen just came when they felt like it, not when they were supposed to come when called out.

[KoTeMoRe]

Use of RPG's was patent, while the Russian teams used the RPG 7 with the OG-7 (APERS) warhead, the hostage takers had in their arsenal both RPO's and RPG's 7 and 22.

As for what went wrong:

1. No cordoning around the Perimeter.
2. The compound was fractionned and targets scattered.
3. Vicious human shielding from the hostage takers.
4. The movements and actions of the anti-terror forces were hampered by two factors, saving the hostages (1000 people) while fighting their way in and out against a sizeable force (31 hostage takers) and avoiding any ****ytraps and other suprizes.

That meant slow movement, and thus a more agressive stance, wich resulted in a long battle and the possibility for the hostage takers to kill as many hastages as they could.

[Bartoha]

See some interesting articles about that subject:
http://www.pravdabeslana.ru/shmel.htm

http://www.jamestown.org/edm/article.php?volume_id=409&issue_id=3525&article_id=2370469

[Jagged_552]

Hey thanks Bartoha.

However Im thinking that there were more than 31 hostage takers involved, as in a short time after the initial takeover of the school, some witnesses reported the arrival of another group of Chechens in a military truck. Then there are the rumors of a number of hostage takers escaping in the ensuing chaos during the assault.

[kahn267]

Didnt this come after the Opera theatre massacre where the Russians used gas to make everyone pass out and so many people choked on their tongues after?

Perhaps this was reason as to why the families started the assault.

The only good thing at the end of this was that Russia just went and assasinated one of the ring leaders - the only form of justice for events such as these

[Jagged_552]

Hmm....yeah it was after that and that is a good possibility as the initial events that started the assault is something that is still disputed.

[matthew.manhorn]

It iss still a myth of who stormed the school first to cause the detonation of the bombs, the Russian troops or the militas?

[Christophe]

If you need info on the Beslan siege, contact John P. Giduck at http://www.antiterrorconsultants.org/. He was 10SFG at the time and present as an observer. His presentation is entitled "Terror at Russia's Beslan Middle School -- An Assessment". He also wrote a book about Beslan.
I do not think you will find a better (open) source.
Good luck.

[CHERK]

Didnt this come after the Opera theatre massacre where the Russians used gas to make everyone pass out and so many people choked on their tongues after?

Perhaps this was reason as to why the families started the assault.

The only good thing at the end of this was that Russia just went and assasinated one of the ring leaders - the only form of justice for events such as these

No, it was not.

[Jippo]

I will translate you the mainpoints from rather controversial article in local military periodical (Suomen Sotilas 6/2005 p.24). I will not start to argue on the controversial points mentioned in the article, I just translate it.

"Who benefited from Beslan?"


- article compares it to the Moscow theatre incident as in both the main perpetrators had been in Russian custody before the incidents and then right after their release committed to the attacks.
- Russian authorities didn't engage into negotiation and claimed in public that it was the hostage takers who didn't want to negotiate. Distrust of officials lead to vigilante actions of the residents.
- opposition journalist Andrei Babitsky (Radio Liberty) was arrested in Vnukovo airport, and Anna Politkovskaya (Novaja Gazeta, murdered) was poisoned neatly lethally on a flight to Rostov (likely FSB). Georgian Nana Lezhava and her crew(Rustavi 2 TV-channel) were arrested in Beslan. She was also later drugged in custody. Chief editor of Al-Arabia TV-channel was arrested in Mineral Vody.

NEGOTIATIONS:
- Hostage takers wanted to meet with president of north-ossetia Aleksandr Dzasohov, president of Ingushia Murat Zjajikov, doctor Leonid Roshal and Russian president aide Aslambek Aslahanov.
- They also wanted to liberate their comrades from Russian prisons, pull out of Russian troops from Chechnya and resignment of Putin.
- Russian authirities said that they had no demands
- on second day ex-president of Ingushia Ruslan Aushev went to school and 26 hostages were released. He later phoned to Aslan Mashadov's(president of Chechnya, later murdered) embassador Ahmed Zakajev and asked Mashadov to be the middle man for the negotiations to which Mashadov agreed to come in Beslan if it was guaranteed that "Dudajev's scenario" wouldn't happen again. (Dudajev was killed by a missile in 1996). Instead of guaranting security to Mashadov FSB arrested 30 of his relatives including children and Mashadov's wife's father Havash Semijev. Arrested persons were held for two days and also beaten. Mashadov and Zakajev condemned the events in Beslan, and stated that Shamil Basajev will be brought to trial for being part of the Beslan events.

HOSTAGE TAKERS
- Officially there was 32, but many say 50. 3-4 were captured.
- Officially there were arabs and even an african black person taking part, but later it was admitted that this was not the case.
- Picture of one of the men Nurpash Kulajev was shown. Russian prosecutor Sergei Fridinski said after the crisis "...one of the terrorists... has been arrested and he is confessing as we speak" Kulajev appeared on TV two times saying that he didn't know where the other man came from, and on the second he said they were uzbeks, arabs and chechnyans.

RELEASED INMATES
- At least six of the hostage takers were in the Russian custody, and should have been in prison when Beslan happened. In addition to Nurpash Kulajev, his brother Hanpash (9 year sentence) and Mairbek Shaibekhanov can be named. Source from interior ministry wondered in statement to Novaja Gazeta wondered how these men could have gotten out of the prison and be in Beslan. Same source thought it was likely that these men were transported to Beslan against their will. According to Alexander Litvinenko (murdered in London) release of a chechnyan was a sign of him being brought in to the payroll of the FSB.
- The comission of Russian parliament investigating the events in Beslan has not been allowed to talk to any of the surviving hostage takers and their findings have been declared secret. Member of the comission Juri Saveljev says "truth about the men, who infact were in charge of the attack, would be too horrifying and would cause new bloody conflicts".
- The persons who have negotiated with the hostage takers (Ruslan Aushev, Aslambek Aslahamov, Mihail Gutserijev) have uniformly stated that the hostage takers couldn't understand chechnyan or ingushian languages, and wanted to negotiate in russian
- Officially the person leading the hostage taking strike was "colonel" Ruslan Hutshbarov.

RETAKING OF THE SCHOOL
- officially retaking begun because there was an explosion and firefight inside of the school, after which hostages tried to get out and special forces tried to help them.
- retaking of the school started 3.9. at 1pm by special forces units Alfa and Vympel. It started by Shmel rockets fired from the roof of a building adjacent to the school. (shmel launch tubes were found on the roof) The rockets caused the fire in the roof of the school and it's collapse causing many casualties. Attack was supported by three MBT's shooting at the school. Some of the surviving hostages have said that the firing was so heavy that it "felt like an earthquake".
- 1.15pm Mi-24 attack helicopter appeared on the site. According to Pavel Felgenhauer it should have taken 30-40 minutes to get the chopper. Also according to him there was no action to try and actually save the hostages (of whom only 10% escaped unhurt). Thereis no evidence of hostage takers shooting at the hostages in this point, and actually statements of them leading some of the hostages into safety.

MOSCOW TAKING CONTROL
- The local authorities have been made quilty for the bloodpath, but according the statement of director of FSB Valeri Andrejev deputy directors of FSB Vladimir ****ichev and Vladimir Anasimov were in charge since 1.9.
- Unsolved situation in Beslan was very difficult to president Putin, and especially problematic was the supposed arrival of democratically elected president of Chechnya Mashadov as the main negotiator. Poisoning of Politkovskaja may be related to Mashadov as she had openly supported Mashadovs arrival.
- On the day before the last day Dzasohov and Ruslan Ausev got word that Mashadov will come to Beslan.
- On the morning of the last day of the siege negotiators Dzasohov and Zakajev continued talks. Hour before the attack on the school Dzasohov gave a statement to the residents of Beslan that "new persons will be involved in the negotiations and there will be no attack on the school." Dzasohov told to Zakajev that he would need two hours to arrange safe passage to Mashadov.
- It is likely that the possibility of Mashadov negotiating a peaceful ending to the siege was seen as a dangerous turn of events in Kreml. The loss of prestige for Kreml would have been enormous, and pressure to start peace negotiations with Mashadov to end the Chechnyan war would have been increasing. Thus destroying the school before Mashadovs arrival was the low risk way out of the situation for Kreml. Even big casualty numbers would benefit the official view, and blame would be on the terrorists.

(SNIP OFF SOME SLIGHTLY IRRELEVANT STUFF)


WHO BENEFITED FROM BESLAN?
- After the murder of Mashadov Shamil Basajev became the new leader of Chechnya. Basajev was a know terrorist.
- Beslan gave legitimacy to the Chechnyan war, and allowed to forget the mistakes of the war. It also labeled Chechnyans as terrorists in the eyes of the world justifying Russian actions to pacify Chechnya.
- The last thing to ask is: who benefited from Beslan?

[Doublethinker]

I will translate you the mainpoints from rather controversial article in local military periodical (Suomen Sotilas 6/2005 p.24). I will not start to argue on the controversial points mentioned in the article, I just translate it.

"Who benefited from Beslan?"


- article compares it to the Moscow theatre incident as in both the main perpetrators had been in Russian custody before the incidents and then right after their release committed to the attacks.
- Russian authorities didn't engage into negotiation and claimed in public that it was the hostage takers who didn't want to negotiate. Distrust of officials lead to vigilante actions of the residents.
- opposition journalist Andrei Babitsky (Radio Liberty) was arrested in Vnukovo airport, and Anna Politkovskaya (Novaja Gazeta, murdered) was poisoned neatly lethally on a flight to Rostov (likely FSB). Georgian Nana Lezhava and her crew(Rustavi 2 TV-channel) were arrested in Beslan. She was also later drugged in custody. Chief editor of Al-Arabia TV-channel was arrested in Mineral Vody.

NEGOTIATIONS:
- Hostage takers wanted to meet with president of north-ossetia Aleksandr Dzasohov, president of Ingushia Murat Zjajikov, doctor Leonid Roshal and Russian president aide Aslambek Aslahanov.
- They also wanted to liberate their comrades from Russian prisons, pull out of Russian troops from Chechnya and resignment of Putin.
- Russian authirities said that they had no demands
- on second day ex-president of Ingushia Ruslan Aushev went to school and 26 hostages were released. He later phoned to Aslan Mashadov's(president of Chechnya, later murdered) embassador Ahmed Zakajev and asked Mashadov to be the middle man for the negotiations to which Mashadov agreed to come in Beslan if it was guaranteed that "Dudajev's scenario" wouldn't happen again. (Dudajev was killed by a missile in 1996). Instead of guaranting security to Mashadov FSB arrested 30 of his relatives including children and Mashadov's wife's father Havash Semijev. Arrested persons were held for two days and also beaten. Mashadov and Zakajev condemned the events in Beslan, and stated that Shamil Basajev will be brought to trial for being part of the Beslan events.

HOSTAGE TAKERS
- Officially there was 32, but many say 50. 3-4 were captured.
- Officially there were arabs and even an african black person taking part, but later it was admitted that this was not the case.
- Picture of one of the men Nurpash Kulajev was shown. Russian prosecutor Sergei Fridinski said after the crisis "...one of the terrorists... has been arrested and he is confessing as we speak" Kulajev appeared on TV two times saying that he didn't know where the other man came from, and on the second he said they were uzbeks, arabs and chechnyans.

RELEASED INMATES
- At least six of the hostage takers were in the Russian custody, and should have been in prison when Beslan happened. In addition to Nurpash Kulajev, his brother Hanpash (9 year sentence) and Mairbek Shaibekhanov can be named. Source from interior ministry wondered in statement to Novaja Gazeta wondered how these men could have gotten out of the prison and be in Beslan. Same source thought it was likely that these men were transported to Beslan against their will. According to Alexander Litvinenko (murdered in London) release of a chechnyan was a sign of him being brought in to the payroll of the FSB.
- The comission of Russian parliament investigating the events in Beslan has not been allowed to talk to any of the surviving hostage takers and their findings have been declared secret. Member of the comission Juri Saveljev says "truth about the men, who infact were in charge of the attack, would be too horrifying and would cause new bloody conflicts".
- The persons who have negotiated with the hostage takers (Ruslan Aushev, Aslambek Aslahamov, Mihail Gutserijev) have uniformly stated that the hostage takers couldn't understand chechnyan or ingushian languages, and wanted to negotiate in russian
- Officially the person leading the hostage taking strike was "colonel" Ruslan Hutshbarov.

RETAKING OF THE SCHOOL
- officially retaking begun because there was an explosion and firefight inside of the school, after which hostages tried to get out and special forces tried to help them.
- retaking of the school started 3.9. at 1pm by special forces units Alfa and Vympel. It started by Shmel rockets fired from the roof of a building adjacent to the school. (shmel launch tubes were found on the roof) The rockets caused the fire in the roof of the school and it's collapse causing many casualties. Attack was supported by three MBT's shooting at the school. Some of the surviving hostages have said that the firing was so heavy that it "felt like an earthquake".
- 1.15pm Mi-24 attack helicopter appeared on the site. According to Pavel Felgenhauer it should have taken 30-40 minutes to get the chopper. Also according to him there was no action to try and actually save the hostages (of whom only 10% escaped unhurt). Thereis no evidence of hostage takers shooting at the hostages in this point, and actually statements of them leading some of the hostages into safety.

MOSCOW TAKING CONTROL
- The local authorities have been made quilty for the bloodpath, but according the statement of director of FSB Valeri Andrejev deputy directors of FSB Vladimir ****ichev and Vladimir Anasimov were in charge since 1.9.
- Unsolved situation in Beslan was very difficult to president Putin, and especially problematic was the supposed arrival of democratically elected president of Chechnya Mashadov as the main negotiator. Poisoning of Politkovskaja may be related to Mashadov as she had openly supported Mashadovs arrival.
- On the day before the last day Dzasohov and Ruslan Ausev got word that Mashadov will come to Beslan.
- On the morning of the last day of the siege negotiators Dzasohov and Zakajev continued talks. Hour before the attack on the school Dzasohov gave a statement to the residents of Beslan that "new persons will be involved in the negotiations and there will be no attack on the school." Dzasohov told to Zakajev that he would need two hours to arrange safe passage to Mashadov.
- It is likely that the possibility of Mashadov negotiating a peaceful ending to the siege was seen as a dangerous turn of events in Kreml. The loss of prestige for Kreml would have been enormous, and pressure to start peace negotiations with Mashadov to end the Chechnyan war would have been increasing. Thus destroying the school before Mashadovs arrival was the low risk way out of the situation for Kreml. Even big casualty numbers would benefit the official view, and blame would be on the terrorists.

(SNIP OFF SOME SLIGHTLY IRRELEVANT STUFF)


WHO BENEFITED FROM BESLAN?
- After the murder of Mashadov Shamil Basajev became the new leader of Chechnya. Basajev was a know terrorist.
- Beslan gave legitimacy to the Chechnyan war, and allowed to forget the mistakes of the war. It also labeled Chechnyans as terrorists in the eyes of the world justifying Russian actions to pacify Chechnya.
- The last thing to ask is: who benefited from Beslan?

Who benefitted from WWII the most? The US. Does it mean the US started it?

[Jippo]

I will not start to argue on the controversial points mentioned in the article, I just translate it.

Doublethinker, it says it right up there.

The views are not mine, but ideas of the person who wrote article. It is also 6 page piece, and I just scratched on some of his main points so it is not fair to the author (Hannu Yli-Karjanmaa) either. But I thought it is better to have some opinion like his rather than none at all.

[Christophe]

Is this article relevant to this thread?
It is the same crap as some saying the US is behind 9/11.
Jippo, thanks for your effort, but what is the use translating an article like that??

Why is it that people, without any knowledge whatsoever about certain incidents/ops/... keep posting/talking bs?
If there are pics, ´enjoy´ them (as in -military- photos) and drool over the cool gear.
Stop talking about situations you were not involved in and know nothing about except what CNN tells you. Think of the people lost and hope it never happens to you or your loved ones.

Rant over; gotta get a new beer...

[Jippo]

Is this article relevant to this thread?
It is the same crap as some saying the US is behind 9/11.
Jippo, thanks for your effort, but what is the use translating an article like that??

Why is it that people, without any knowledge whatsoever about certain incidents/ops/... keep posting/talking bs?
If there are pics, ´enjoy´ them (as in -military- photos) and drool over the cool gear.
Stop talking about situations you were not involved in and know nothing about except what CNN tells you. Think of the people lost and hope it never happens to you or your loved ones.

Rant over; gotta get a new beer...


I find it very relevant.

I'm not qualified to say if the article is truthful, but it opens another view to the normal rubbish officials feed you. Hannu Yli-Karjanmaa is a published author and terrorism researcher, the article in it self has nothing to do with CNN (BBC or what ever) and it was published in a respect military periodical and not in "the Sun".

Research is about finding information, I gave a source.

Ps. article in Finnish is in here:

http://www.saunalahti.fi/wtc2001/Beslan.htm

Try to put it through google translate or something, sources for the article are listed in the end.

[Karl_Kroenen]

(shmel launch tubes were found on the roof) The rockets caused the fire in the roof of the school and it's collapse causing many casualties. Attack was supported by three MBT's shooting at the school.

So their evidence to support claims of military personnel firing thermobaric weapons on hostages was the location of spent tubes?

Did the author consider the use of the weapons as entrance makers (don't really know how to express) in non occupied zones of the school? A book I read suggested that these weapons weren't used in direct fire fashion but to make holes in the walls.

A lot of "analysis" seems to capitalize on the heavy weapons that were in the district supporting the operation.

Sure tanks may have been firing, but at what? Surely not the gymnasium.


According to Pavel Felgenhauer

Thank god this joker has made a comment about it!


Also according to him there was no action to try and actually save the hostages

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g178/krumpken/beslan_pam_big.jpg

[domokun]

Jippo thanks for posting the original article as well, it's interesting. Translating it completely would take quite much time. I agree that it's quite relevant, but it's bit of conspiracy stuff... real motives behind decision making in Beslan won't become public for long time.

Suomen Sotilas a respected military periodical... hmmm.. well there is lot interesting articles and columns in it, but sometimes it feels lot like a bashing platform of certain retired officers against whatever FDF does or procures. BTW That 3 part test on new m05 unforms was hilarious. Personally I prefer Sotilas Aikakausilehti little bit over Suomen Sotilas.

R.I.P to victims of Beslan massacre.

[Jippo]

Suomen Sotilas a respected military periodical... hmmm.. well there is lot interesting articles and columns in it, but sometimes it feels lot like a bashing platform of certain retired officers against whatever FDF does or procures. BTW That 3 part test on new m05 unforms was hilarious. Personally I prefer Sotilas Aikakausilehti little bit over Suomen Sotilas.

R.I.P to victims of Beslan massacre.

Agreed...

Suomen Sotilas can be a bit controversial at times, but they also often write stuff that will not go through in more conservative magazines following the mainstream. Points for that from me. Article should be taken with a grain of salt, but it brings up some less published details as well.

[Jagged_552]

The whole investigation following the storming is so screwed up with cover ups and playing the blame game, that its hard to filter out truth from the BS. The one terrorist captured, i think his name is Pashi Kulayev, a Chechen, has disappeared completely from the prison system. I smell something fishy with that.:|

[Jippo]

Do you mean that he is missing again? Or do you mean the thing that he was supposed to be in prison when the thing happened? Do you have a source to post?

[jokuvaan]

You will find most up-to-date information if you are able to contact those locals(mostly relatives of victims) who have been running their own research because they have been unable to open any new official legal case.

[Jagged_552]

Pashi Kulayev? What do you mean again? He was captured at Beslan while trying to hide under a truck. He was then sentenced to life in prison, according to an article in wikipedia(not the best source I know).
I would like to interview locals but Im a poor college student and I dont speak the local language.

[Jippo]

Yes, I know he was captured in Beslan, but I was wondering if he "escaped" from prison again after Beslan.

[Jagged_552]

Was he in prison before Beslan? I dont know. I do know that he was given the title of "the sole survivor" of the hostage takers when he was captured, but I think some of the other hostage takers did escape.
It is possible that he had his identity changed to protect him in the prison system, as he was sent to Ognenny Ostrov island, out in the Vologda region, which is a high security prison. The other possibility is that he is dead, but any information about his where abouts is hard to find, and some of it has been censored/deleted (russian sources anyway).

[CHERK]

Was he in prison before Beslan? I dont know. I do know that he was given the title of "the sole survivor" of the hostage takers when he was captured, but I think some of the other hostage takers did escape.
It is possible that he had his identity changed to protect him in the prison system, as he was sent to Ognenny Ostrov island, out in the Vologda region, which is a high security prison. The other possibility is that he is dead, but any information about his where abouts is hard to find, and some of it has been censored/deleted (russian sources anyway).

As it should be.

[Jippo]

Was he in prison before Beslan? I dont know.

Read the translation I posted:



- At least six of the hostage takers were in the Russian custody, and should have been in prison when Beslan happened. In addition to Nurpash Kulajev, his brother Hanpash (9 year sentence) and Mairbek Shaibekhanov can be named. Source from interior ministry wondered in statement to Novaja Gazeta wondered how these men could have gotten out of the prison and be in Beslan. Same source thought it was likely that these men were transported to Beslan against their will. According to Alexander Litvinenko (murdered in London) release of a chechnyan was a sign of him being brought in to the payroll of the FSB.

And now he has dissappeared again? Amazing co-incidence. :)

[Jagged_552]

Thanks to all who helped in gathering information or providing their input about this matter. I have finished my paper and if any will like to see a copy, you may message me.
Thanks once again.

[JBH22]

this was the most coward act i've seen killing children and they claim to be mujahadeen. Did the muslim clerics condemn this act koz when US,israel,india or russia fights them they shout they are victims

[Flamming_Python]

I will translate you the mainpoints from rather controversial article in local military periodical (Suomen Sotilas 6/2005 p.24). I will not start to argue on the controversial points mentioned in the article, I just translate it.

"Who benefited from Beslan?"


- article compares it to the Moscow theatre incident as in both the main perpetrators had been in Russian custody before the incidents and then right after their release committed to the attacks.
- Russian authorities didn't engage into negotiation and claimed in public that it was the hostage takers who didn't want to negotiate. Distrust of officials lead to vigilante actions of the residents.
- opposition journalist Andrei Babitsky (Radio Liberty) was arrested in Vnukovo airport, and Anna Politkovskaya (Novaja Gazeta, murdered) was poisoned neatly lethally on a flight to Rostov (likely FSB). Georgian Nana Lezhava and her crew(Rustavi 2 TV-channel) were arrested in Beslan. She was also later drugged in custody. Chief editor of Al-Arabia TV-channel was arrested in Mineral Vody.

NEGOTIATIONS:
- Hostage takers wanted to meet with president of north-ossetia Aleksandr Dzasohov, president of Ingushia Murat Zjajikov, doctor Leonid Roshal and Russian president aide Aslambek Aslahanov.
- They also wanted to liberate their comrades from Russian prisons, pull out of Russian troops from Chechnya and resignment of Putin.
- Russian authirities said that they had no demands
- on second day ex-president of Ingushia Ruslan Aushev went to school and 26 hostages were released. He later phoned to Aslan Mashadov's(president of Chechnya, later murdered) embassador Ahmed Zakajev and asked Mashadov to be the middle man for the negotiations to which Mashadov agreed to come in Beslan if it was guaranteed that "Dudajev's scenario" wouldn't happen again. (Dudajev was killed by a missile in 1996). Instead of guaranting security to Mashadov FSB arrested 30 of his relatives including children and Mashadov's wife's father Havash Semijev. Arrested persons were held for two days and also beaten. Mashadov and Zakajev condemned the events in Beslan, and stated that Shamil Basajev will be brought to trial for being part of the Beslan events.

HOSTAGE TAKERS
- Officially there was 32, but many say 50. 3-4 were captured.
- Officially there were arabs and even an african black person taking part, but later it was admitted that this was not the case.
- Picture of one of the men Nurpash Kulajev was shown. Russian prosecutor Sergei Fridinski said after the crisis "...one of the terrorists... has been arrested and he is confessing as we speak" Kulajev appeared on TV two times saying that he didn't know where the other man came from, and on the second he said they were uzbeks, arabs and chechnyans.

RELEASED INMATES
- At least six of the hostage takers were in the Russian custody, and should have been in prison when Beslan happened. In addition to Nurpash Kulajev, his brother Hanpash (9 year sentence) and Mairbek Shaibekhanov can be named. Source from interior ministry wondered in statement to Novaja Gazeta wondered how these men could have gotten out of the prison and be in Beslan. Same source thought it was likely that these men were transported to Beslan against their will. According to Alexander Litvinenko (murdered in London) release of a chechnyan was a sign of him being brought in to the payroll of the FSB.
- The comission of Russian parliament investigating the events in Beslan has not been allowed to talk to any of the surviving hostage takers and their findings have been declared secret. Member of the comission Juri Saveljev says "truth about the men, who infact were in charge of the attack, would be too horrifying and would cause new bloody conflicts".
- The persons who have negotiated with the hostage takers (Ruslan Aushev, Aslambek Aslahamov, Mihail Gutserijev) have uniformly stated that the hostage takers couldn't understand chechnyan or ingushian languages, and wanted to negotiate in russian
- Officially the person leading the hostage taking strike was "colonel" Ruslan Hutshbarov.

RETAKING OF THE SCHOOL
- officially retaking begun because there was an explosion and firefight inside of the school, after which hostages tried to get out and special forces tried to help them.
- retaking of the school started 3.9. at 1pm by special forces units Alfa and Vympel. It started by Shmel rockets fired from the roof of a building adjacent to the school. (shmel launch tubes were found on the roof) The rockets caused the fire in the roof of the school and it's collapse causing many casualties. Attack was supported by three MBT's shooting at the school. Some of the surviving hostages have said that the firing was so heavy that it "felt like an earthquake".
- 1.15pm Mi-24 attack helicopter appeared on the site. According to Pavel Felgenhauer it should have taken 30-40 minutes to get the chopper. Also according to him there was no action to try and actually save the hostages (of whom only 10% escaped unhurt). Thereis no evidence of hostage takers shooting at the hostages in this point, and actually statements of them leading some of the hostages into safety.

MOSCOW TAKING CONTROL
- The local authorities have been made quilty for the bloodpath, but according the statement of director of FSB Valeri Andrejev deputy directors of FSB Vladimir ****ichev and Vladimir Anasimov were in charge since 1.9.
- Unsolved situation in Beslan was very difficult to president Putin, and especially problematic was the supposed arrival of democratically elected president of Chechnya Mashadov as the main negotiator. Poisoning of Politkovskaja may be related to Mashadov as she had openly supported Mashadovs arrival.
- On the day before the last day Dzasohov and Ruslan Ausev got word that Mashadov will come to Beslan.
- On the morning of the last day of the siege negotiators Dzasohov and Zakajev continued talks. Hour before the attack on the school Dzasohov gave a statement to the residents of Beslan that "new persons will be involved in the negotiations and there will be no attack on the school." Dzasohov told to Zakajev that he would need two hours to arrange safe passage to Mashadov.
- It is likely that the possibility of Mashadov negotiating a peaceful ending to the siege was seen as a dangerous turn of events in Kreml. The loss of prestige for Kreml would have been enormous, and pressure to start peace negotiations with Mashadov to end the Chechnyan war would have been increasing. Thus destroying the school before Mashadovs arrival was the low risk way out of the situation for Kreml. Even big casualty numbers would benefit the official view, and blame would be on the terrorists.

(SNIP OFF SOME SLIGHTLY IRRELEVANT STUFF)


WHO BENEFITED FROM BESLAN?
- After the murder of Mashadov Shamil Basajev became the new leader of Chechnya. Basajev was a know terrorist.
- Beslan gave legitimacy to the Chechnyan war, and allowed to forget the mistakes of the war. It also labeled Chechnyans as terrorists in the eyes of the world justifying Russian actions to pacify Chechnya.
- The last thing to ask is: who benefited from Beslan?

You wanna know who I think benefitted from Beslan?
Whiny Finnish 'know-it-alls' who want more dirt to throw on Russia :bash:
(I don't mean to insult you or other Finnish people here, just the idiot who wrote this garbage)

[Jippo]

You wanna know who I think benefitted from Beslan?
Whiny Finnish 'know-it-alls' who want more dirt to throw on Russia :bash:
(I don't mean to insult you or other Finnish people here, just the idiot who wrote this garbage)

The guy who wrote the text is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. He also writes similar pieces about other nations(for example the USA), and as far as I can tell he is not specifically anti-russian.

If somebody doesn't agree on government view, it is not an attack against the nation. It is healthy and good that different points of views are raised. Even if the matter is about Russia.

Despite of what you may think, world is not trying to "get" Russia.

[Flamming_Python]

The guy who wrote the text is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. He also writes similar pieces about other nations(for example the USA), and as far as I can tell he is not specifically anti-russian.

If somebody doesn't agree on government view, it is not an attack against the nation. It is healthy and good that different points of views are raised. Even if the matter is about Russia.

Despite of what you may think, world is not trying to "get" Russia.

Well this article does make a couple of good points and gives some info. I'd also add that Zyazikov should have come there, but was a coward who was afraid that he'd be assassinated right there and then; so his sent another official from his government instead.

But overall; with the quotation of info from Felgenhauer, the critisism for not mediating through Maskhadov, the implication that the whole thing was orchestrated by Russia's security services, etc... This guy has zero credibility.

[Jippo]

This guy has zero credibility.

This maybe true. :)

I do not know well enough all the details myself to judge what exactly happened in reality.