Terror in Russia: a siege leads to mass murder in a Beslan school.

By mid-September, the children of Beslan were back at school. But three days of terror had changed life forever in the small Russian town.

The horror began on September 1, the first day of school for young people across Russia. More than 30 heavily-armed terrorists entered Beslan's Middle School No. 1, in the republic of North Ossetia (see map on p. 6). Students, parents, and teachers had gathered in the courtyard for an opening-day ceremony.

"All the children were excited about being back," 10-year-old Georgy Farniyev later told a British newspaper. But excitement soon turned to fear as gunshots rang out.

The masked intruders herded about 1,200 people, including Georgy (pictured on p. 5), into the school and held them at gunpoint. The terrorists, who also had explosives, placed children at the windows as human shields. They said the hostages would be killed unless Russian troops withdrew from the Republic of Chechnya (CHECH-nyuh). They also demanded Chechen independence.

As day stretched into night, frightened parents kept vigil outside. In the crowded gym, a terrorist held an automatic rifle to Georgy's head. Georgy had to watch as the rebels fired guns and set off explosives, killing other hostages.

After the first hostage was shot, Georgy recalled, "everyone screamed, and I felt sick inside. I decided if I was going to live, I would have to be as quiet as a mouse." Georgy later managed to escape through a broken window. As he did, a grenade went off, injuring him.

A Reign of Terror 

The siege lasted 53 hours. It ended when Russian soldiers and armed civilians stormed the building. As they did, more bombs exploded, leading to more chaos and bloodshed. The toll was grim: at least 338 people dead, many of them children. Hundreds of others were wounded.

It was Russia's worst single terrorist attack ever, following a horrific week of violence. On August 24, two female suicide bombers boarded commercial airplanes. Within moments of each other, the two planes exploded, killing a total of 90 people. Days later, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a crowded subway station in Moscow, Russia's capital. At least 10 people were killed and 51 wounded.

A spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on outsiders. "We are convinced," he said, "that this is part of the chain of international terrorist activity."

The spokesman was referring to Al Qaeda terrorists. While some people claim that the attacks in Russia may have had ties to international terrorism, their roots are in Russia's decade-long conflict with Chechnya, which is near North Ossetia.

Independence Campaign

Chechnya is a small ethnic republic located within the Russian Federation in the Northern Caucasus (KAW-kuh-suhs) region. Most Chechens are Muslims, a religious minority in Russia.

The republic has sought independence from Moscow for centuries. During World War II, Joseph Stalin, then the leader of the Soviet Union, accused Chechens of aiding the enemy Germans. He exiled the entire population to Central Asia and Siberia, where tens of thousands of Chechens died. Stalin's successor, Nikita Khrushchev, allowed Chechens to return home in 1957.

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Within three years, Chechnya had declared its independence. Russian President Boris Yeltsin responded by sending in troops. Yeltsin had two reasons for denying Chechens their independence. Moscow did not want to lose control of Chechnya's most important resource: oil. Russian leaders also feared that if Chechnya was granted independence, other republics would try to follow suit.

In 1996, a cease-fire deal was struck, in which Chechens could vote for their own government. But their republic remained part of Russia. Three years of instability followed.

In 1999, Vladimir Putin, then Russia's Prime Minister, sent troops back to Chechnya, where they remain today. Human-rights activists estimate that the wars have cost at least 100,000 lives on both sides.

"Strangling Freedoms"

Terrorists tried to justify the Beslan siege by saying it was revenge for what Russia has done to Chechnya. Shamil Basayev, a leader of the Chechen guerrilla opposition, took responsibility for the attack. Putin's war, he said, "has destroyed more than 40,000 Chechen children and crippled more than 5,000 of them."

President Putin has since announced a plan to fight terrorism. Critics say it will merely tighten his control over the government. Instead of being elected directly, leaders in Russia's 89 regions will now be appointed by Putin. Russian media is also facing stricter controls.

Putin cited the ethnic and religious tensions in Russia as reasons for the changes. But, said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Putin's plan "is pulling back on some of the democratic reforms."

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin agreed. "Strangling freedoms and curtailing democratic rights," he said, "marks, among other things, the victory of terrorists."

In Beslan, meanwhile, many children are living with pain and horrific memories. As for Georgy, right now he is happy to be alive. "It is a miracle," he said. "God was with me."

Words to Know

* hostage: a person who is held against his or her will in exchange for a demand.

* siege: an armed occupation.

Your Turn

THINK ABOUT IT

1. Why has Russia fought two wars with Chechnya in the past decade?

2. Discuss ways that the Russian government could help end terrorist attacks.

* OBJECTIVE

Students should understand

* Terrorists from the Russian republic of Chechnya held hostages in a North Ossetian elementary school, and committed other deadly attacks in Russia last month.

* WORDS TO KNOW

hostage: a person who is held against his or her will in exchange for a demand * siege: the surrounding of an enemy by an armed force.

* TEACHING STRATEGY

Have students locate Russia and Chechnya on a map. Ask: "What do you know about Chechnya?"

* BACKGROUND

The Russian government has offered a $10 million reward for the capture of Chechen terrorist chief Shamil Basayev. Meanwhile, the students who survived the crisis in Beslan are recuperating from the trauma at hospitals along the Black Sea. Middle School Number 1 has been turned into a memorial.

* CRITICAL THINKING

MAIN IDEA: What did Chechen terrorists demand for their hostages? (The terrorists demanded that Russia remove its troops from Chechnya, which has sought independence from Russia for centuries.)

COMPREHENSION: Why has the U.S. criticized Russian President Putin's plan to fight terrorism? (President Putin called for a reorganization of government appointments and the further restricting of the nation's media. The U.S. views those moves as contrary to democratic ideals.)

* ACTIVITY

FREE MEDIA: Have students research how a free media can provide citizens with information about their government's policies and actions. How important is it to have an independent media, and how does it help guarantee civil liberties?

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Global connections: How the terrorism now occurring in Russia has its roots In a centuries-old conflict between that nation and the republic of Chechnya.

* Power, authority, and governance: How Russian President Putin has reorganized his government in an effort to combat terrorism.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Kort, Michael G., Central Asian Republics (Facts on File, 2003). Grades 6-8.

* Shields, Charles J., Vladimir Putin (Chelsea House, 2002). Grades 5-8.

GROLIER WEB SITE KEY TERM

* Chechnya

WEB SITES

* Conflict in Chechnya www.csmonitor.com/atsmonitor/ specials/chechnya/chl.html

* International Red Cross www.icrc.org