Moscow theater hostage crisis

Quick Facts: Who was Moscow theater hostage crisis?

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Moscow theater hostage crisis

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The 2002 Nord-Ost siege was a terrorist attack on the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow.

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Origins & Early Life

The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater in Moscow by Chechen terrorists on 23 October 2002, resulting in the taking of 912 hostages. The attackers, led by Movsar Barayev, claimed allegiance to the rebel breakaway movement in Chechnya. They demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and an end to the Second Chechen War. The crisis ended when Russian security services released sleeping gas into the building, and subsequently stormed it, killing all 40 hostage takers. 132 hostages died, largely due to the effects of the gas.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Due to the layout of the theater, special forces would have had to fight through 30 metres (100 ft) of corridor and advance up a well-defended staircase before they could reach the hall in which the hostages were held. The attackers had numerous explosives, with the most powerful in the center of the auditorium. Spetsnaz operators from Federal Security Service (FSB) Alpha and Vympel, supported by a Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) SOBR unit, pumped a chemical agent into the building's ventilation system and began the rescue operation. The identity of the gas was not disclosed at the time, although it was believed to have been a fentanyl derivative. A study published in 2012 concluded that it had been a mixture of carfentanil and remifentanil.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The same study pointed out that in a 2011 case at the European Court of Human Rights, the Russian government stated that the aerosol used was a mixture of a fentanyl derivative and a chemical compound with a narcotic action. The hostages were seized on 23 October at the House of Culture of State Ball-Bearing Plant Number 1 in the Dubrovka area of Moscow about four kilometers south-east of the Moscow Kremlin. During Act II of a sold-out performance of Nord-Ost a little after 9:00 PM, 40–50 heavily armed masked men and women drove in a bus to the theater and entered the main hall firing assault rifles in the air. The black-and-camouflage-clad attackers took approximately 850–900 people hostage, including members of the audience and performers, among them an MVD general. The reaction of spectators inside the theater to the news that the theater was under terrorist attack was not uniform: some people remained calm, some reacted hysterically, and others fainted.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 2002: 2002 Milestone — The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater in Moscow by Chechen terrorists on 23 October 2002, resulting in the taking of 912 hostages.
2. 2011: 2011 Milestone — The same study pointed out that in a 2011 case at the European Court of Human Rights, the Russian government stated that the aerosol used was a mixture of a fentanyl derivative and a chemical compound with a narcotic action.
3. 2012: 2012 Milestone — A study published in 2012 concluded that it had been a mixture of carfentanil and remifentanil.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Moscow theater hostage crisis

True or False: “The gas used during the rescue operation was definitively identified as a mixture of carfentanil and remifentanil immediately after the event.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): A study published in 2012 concluded it was this mixture, but the identity was not disclosed at the time of the crisis.

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