On September 1, 2004, the sleepy town of Beslan in North Ossetia, Russia, celebrated the start of the school year. Beslan School No. 1 was full of students and parents when 32 armed terrorists burst into the school. They quickly took control of the building, gathering the hostages in the gymnasium and placing explosives around them. Russian security forces responded quickly, surrounding the school and establishing a security perimeter. The terrorists demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya, the independence of Chechnya and the release of several prisoners.
Negotiations between the Russian authorities and the terrorists continued throughout the day and continued on September 2. On that day, Release of a group of 11 breastfeeding mothers and 15 young children but the kidnappers remained firm in their demands and They threatened to kill the hostages if they were not met. Inside the gymnasium, the conditions were untenable: the hostages, without access to water, food and medicine, were beginning to suffer from dehydration.
On Friday, September 3, 2004, at approximately 1:00 p.m., two explosions rocked the school gymnasium, triggering a shootout between terrorists and Russian security forces. Total chaos broke out, with hostages trying to escape as bullets flew everywhere. Russian special forces, along with local armed volunteers, launched a desperate assault to free the hostages. The operation was chaotic and extremely violent, with intense clashes lasting for several hours. Eventually, Russian forces managed to enter the gymnasium and free the remaining hostages. However: 334 people died, including 186 childrenand more than 700 people were injured.
After the siege ended, the Russian government opened an investigation to determine how the terrorists were able to organize and carry out the attack. There was widespread criticism of the handling of the crisis, highlighting the lack of coordination and the disorganized response of the security forces.
On 13 April 2017, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia for not doing enough to prevent the Beslan massacre and for excessive lethal force used by officers to end the kidnapping of the educational center. Every September 3, an act of homage to the victims takes place in the gymnasium of Beslan School No. 1, preserved as it was on the day of the massacre.
