At a time of a high terror alert, Moscow remembers the 130 victims of the Dubrovka Theatre hostage crisis
Moscow (AsiaNews) – Moscow yesterday held a ceremony to remember the victims of the Dubrovka Theatre hostage crisis.
A requiem recital and 130 white balloons released into the air marked the 13th anniversary of one of the worst attacks in Russian history.
This year’s commemoration comes a time when Russia is in a high state of alert against possible terrorist attacks in view of the country’s military involvement in the Syrian war on the side of the Assad regime. For some sociologists, the Syrian conflict is actually fuelling Russian fears.
Although the high number of casualties can be partly pinned on Russian authorities and Vladimir Putin, who was already president in 2002, a recent survey shows that most Russians, by a wide margin, trust their government to protect them from terrorist threats.
According to a survey by VTsIOM, a pro-Kremlin think tank, a growing number of Russians (65 per cent) fear they might become victims of attacks (up from 58 per cent last year). Yet, 77 per cent is confident that the authorities will protect the population (68 per cent in September 2014).
"Putin is doing the right thing in Syria, but why wait 15 years?” said Zoia Chernitsova, who lost her only child, 21, in the attack. “Why did he allow terrorists to come here and take away our children?" she told AsiaNews.
Like all other relatives and survivors of the tragedy, Ms Chernitsova want to hold the authorities accountable for what happened. Unfortunately, fewer people are carrying on the torch, and the incident has lost all its media appeal.
The attack, the raid and the quest for the truth
The crisis began on 23 October 2002 when 40 terrorists took 900 people hostage at the Dubrovka Theatre during a sold-out performance of the musical Nord-Ost.
The attackers demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya where they were involved in the Second Chechen War.
The siege, which saw several attempts at mediation, lasted three days until Russian Special Forces pumped an aerosol anaesthetic gas through the ventilation system. Some 39 terrorists died during the operation.
Most hostages were freed, but about 130 died, including ten children. Many of the 700 exposed to the gas suffered debilitating consequences from gas inhalation. Russian authorities have always rejected responsibility for the collateral damage, and declared the gas agent a state secret.
For years, the Nord-Ost association, which includes relatives of victims and survivors, has tried to find out what happened.
"Putin has to answer for the use of a gas that was never tried elsewhere,” Ms Chernitsova said. “The rescue operation was botched. No one showed any initiative. Paramedics waited for orders. Thus, we lost precious time and lives.”
In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights found fault with the rescue operation, and ordered Russia to pay 1.3 million euro in compensation to the victims’ families.
The latter have been calling for a criminal investigation against the authorities for negligence. So far, only one person, Chechen Hassan Zakayev, 42, is in custody in connection with the attack after he was arrested last year.
The church
The commemoration ended with a religious service. A church dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius was built in front of the theatre and will be consecrated before the end of the year.
According to Roman Bogdasarov, deputy head of the Section for Relations between the Church and Society, every Orthodox parish held a prayer for the victims of the Dubrovka Theatre hostage crisis, RIA Novosti reported.
“Today,” he said, “prayers were offered in Orthodox churches and chapels, not only for the repose of the souls that were slain,[. . .] but also for modern youth [. . .] that they might not go astray, and get caught up in the network of terrorist organisations.”
Speaking about the victims, he noted, “They became martyrs of civil society, so that our children today can live in Russia, free and in peace.”
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14/02/2023 09:21
