Moscow theater hostage crisis
At 9:02 PM on the 23rd of October 2002, forty to fifty masked men and women drove a bus into the courtyard of the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow. They fired assault rifles into the air during Act II of the musical Nord-Ost. The attackers took approximately 850 to 900 people hostage inside the crowded auditorium. Movsar Barayev led the group that identified itself as the 29th Division. Their demands were immediate and absolute. They wanted Russian forces withdrawn from Chechnya and an end to the Second Chechen War. A deadline of one week was set for compliance before they would begin killing hostages. Some spectators fainted while others remained calm or reacted hysterically. About 90 people managed to escape through windows or hide backstage.
Three days passed between the initial takeover and the final storming of the theater. Negotiators including singer Joseph Kobzon and journalist Anna Politkovskaya entered the building to speak with the militants. On the third day, at 5:00 AM on the 26th of October, searchlights illuminating the main entrance went out. An aerosol anaesthetic based on fentanyl derivatives was pumped into the ventilation system by Federal Security Service Alpha Group operators. Hostages and terrorists alike fell unconscious within minutes. Special forces then stormed the building through holes in the wall and the basement. All forty hostage takers died during the operation. Two Spetsnaz operators also succumbed to the gas before entering the hall.
The official death toll reached 132 hostages who died during the raid or in the following days. Andrei Seltsovsky, Moscow's health committee chairman, stated that all but one victim died from the effects of the unknown gas rather than gunshot wounds. A study published in 2012 concluded the agent contained carfentanil and remifentanil. About 700 surviving hostages were poisoned by the mixture. Many suffered second- and third-degree disabilities due to complications from the exposure. Rescue workers failed to administer naloxone immediately upon arrival because they did not know what drug had been used. Some victims suffocated when their tongues blocked their airways after collapsing backward in chairs. Seventy-three hostages received no medical aid at all.
An independent investigation led by journalist Anna Politkovskaya and former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko claimed the Federal Security Service manipulated the attack. They alleged an agent provocateur named Khanpasha Terkibayev directed terrorists to the theater. Litvinenko stated in June 2003 that two militants he identified as Abu Bakar and Abdul the Bloody worked for Russian intelligence. He claimed these agents were removed from the rotting corpses before the storming began. The official investigation suspended on the 1st of June 2007 without locating a culprit. Journalist Sergei Yushenkov was assassinated shortly after receiving information about the Terkibayev file. Movsar Barayev, the nominal leader, was reportedly arrested two months prior to the siege according to French journalist Anne Nivat.
Sixty-one former hostages sought compensation totaling nearly US$60 million from Moscow city authorities. Eighty plaintiffs from Russia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Kazakhstan filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in July 2003. On the 20th of December 2011, the court ordered Russia to pay 64 applicants a total of 1.3 million euros. The ruling found Russia violated Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights through inadequate planning and conduct of the rescue operation. The court also cited the authorities' failure to conduct an effective investigation into the gas used. The decision did not find a violation regarding the choice to use force or the gas itself but condemned the lack of medical countermeasures provided to victims.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received record public approval ratings following the crisis. In December 2002, 83% of Russians declared themselves satisfied with his handling of the event. The government passed broad anti-terrorism legislation on the 29th of October that restricted media coverage of terrorist incidents. New laws banned publication of any statement hindering an operation or justifying hostage-takers aims. NTV channel management was replaced in January 2003 after criticizing the siege response. The Duma approved secret burials for killed terrorists and restrictions on reporting Chechen conflicts. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced large-scale military operations against separatists throughout Chechnya in early November. These actions caused a new wave of refugees according to pro-Moscow official Aslanbek Aslakhanov.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
Who led the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis?
Movsar Barayev led the group that identified itself as the 29th Division during the attack. The attackers took approximately 850 to 900 people hostage inside the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow.
When did the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis begin and end?
The siege began at 9:02 PM on the 23rd of October 2002 when masked men drove a bus into the theater courtyard. The final storming occurred at 5:00 AM on the 26th of October after an aerosol anaesthetic was pumped into the ventilation system.
How many hostages died during the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis?
The official death toll reached 132 hostages who died during the raid or in the following days. Andrei Seltsovsky stated that all but one victim died from the effects of the unknown gas rather than gunshot wounds.
What happened to survivors of the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis?
About 700 surviving hostages were poisoned by the fentanyl derivative mixture used by Federal Security Service Alpha Group operators. Many suffered second- and third-degree disabilities due to complications from the exposure, and seventy-three hostages received no medical aid at all.
Why did the European Court of Human Rights rule against Russia regarding the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis?
On the 20th of December 2011, the court ordered Russia to pay 64 applicants a total of 1.3 million euros for violating Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ruling found Russia violated rights through inadequate planning and conduct of the rescue operation as well as failure to provide effective medical countermeasures.