As the 20th anniversary of the Beslan school siege approaches on 1st September 2024, the tragedy remains a deeply significant and painful chapter in modern Russian history.
Over 330 people, including 186 children, lost their lives during the harrowing three-day ordeal in North Ossetia. Today, two decades later, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling from 2017 continues to cast a shadow over the Russian government’s responsibility in the events leading up to, and following, the massacre.
The ECHR’s ruling was a damning indictment of the Russian authorities’ failure to prevent the attack. In its 2017 decision, the court found that Russia had received specific intelligence warning of a potential terrorist assault on a school in the region. Despite these warnings, security measures at Beslan School No. 1 were not strengthened, and no alert was issued to the public. This negligence allowed the militants to carry out their plan with little resistance, leading to one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern Russia.
Russia’s Failure to Prevent the Attack
The court’s findings were unequivocal: Russia had “sufficiently specific information” about the planned attack but took insufficient steps to disrupt it. Security at the school was not heightened, and neither students nor staff were warned. The militants were able to gather, travel to the school, and execute their plan with little resistance. This failure by Russian authorities to act on available intelligence was a major factor that allowed the siege to unfold as it did.
The ECHR’s ruling was not limited to the failure to prevent the attack. It also criticised the Russian government for its chaotic and overly aggressive response during the rescue operation. Security forces, who stormed the school on the third day of the siege, used heavy weaponry, including tank cannons, grenade launchers, and flamethrowers. The indiscriminate nature of this assault contributed to the high number of casualties, and the court ruled that the use of such lethal force was disproportionate and unnecessary. In effect, the actions of Russian security forces, rather than just the terrorists, directly resulted in many of the deaths.
Adding to this tragic outcome was the lack of coordination and leadership during the operation. The ECHR highlighted the absence of clear command, which led to serious flaws in decision-making. The chaos surrounding the rescue effort meant that hostages, already traumatised by days of terror, were subjected to further danger by those meant to protect them.
Putin’s Response: Deflecting Blame
From the beginning, President Vladimir Putin has deflected responsibility for the Beslan siege, framing it solely as an attack by terrorists while ignoring the government’s role in the tragedy. After the attack, Putin rejected calls for a public inquiry, insisting that there was no link between Russian policy in Chechnya and the events in Beslan. His rhetoric painted the attackers as pure evil, and while this was certainly true, it conveniently allowed him to sidestep any examination of the state’s responsibility in the failure to prevent the attack and the disastrous rescue operation.
Putin’s refusal to acknowledge any government wrongdoing has fuelled deep frustration and anger, particularly among the families of the victims. Many of them, organised in groups like the Mothers of Beslan, have been vocal in their criticism of the government’s handling of the siege and its aftermath. In 2017, a group of women, four of whom lost children in the massacre, were detained for protesting during a memorial ceremony, wearing T-shirts that blamed Putin for the deaths.
Putin’s Cynical Visit to Beslan
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Beslan school siege, President Putin made a highly publicised visit to the site of the massacre, an act that many viewed as deeply cynical. While the Russian leader laid flowers at the City of Angels memorial cemetery and met with members of the Mothers of Beslan, this gesture appeared hollow to those still waiting for accountability. His visit to the school—his first since the attack—was portrayed by the Kremlin as a demonstration of solemn respect for the victims, but for many, it was seen as little more than a political performance.
Putin’s interactions with the Mothers of Beslan during his visit further deepened the sense of cynicism surrounding the occasion. While he listened to their grievances about the still incomplete investigation into the siege, his pledge to ask the head of the Investigative Committee to revisit the case felt insincere. After nearly two decades of obfuscation and a lack of transparency, the president’s sudden display of concern seemed more focused on managing public relations and deflecting attention from Ukrainian Armed Forces advances in the Kursk region than on addressing the enduring pain of those who lost their loved ones.
Adding to the disillusionment was Putin’s use of the Beslan tragedy as a platform to advance his broader political agenda. During his meeting with the Mothers of Beslan, Putin veered into a discussion about Russia’s conflicts in Ukraine, drawing a tenuous connection between the terrorists in Beslan and the “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine.
A Legacy of Neglect
The Beslan school siege left an indelible mark on Russia, particularly in the North Ossetian town that continues to mourn its losses. Despite the ECHR’s ruling and ongoing calls for accountability, many of the families affected by the massacre feel that justice has not been served. The incomplete investigation into the events of the siege, combined with the state’s efforts to suppress criticism, has created a lingering sense of injustice.
For the Mothers of Beslan, Putin’s recent visit did little to heal old wounds. Instead, it reinforced the perception that the Russian government remains more concerned with preserving its image than addressing the failures that contributed to the tragedy. The visit, rather than being a moment of reconciliation, became another symbol of the Kremlin’s cynical approach to handling the legacy of one of the country’s worst terrorist attacks.
As the 20th anniversary of the Beslan siege approaches, the tragedy remains a powerful reminder of the Russian state’s failure to protect its citizens and the political manipulation of their suffering. For the families of those who died, the search for truth and accountability continues, even as the government tries to close the book on one of the darkest chapters in its history.
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