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The Nord Ost Siege, as it is called on account of the show at the theater that night, was just another chapter in the long, violent relationship between Russia and Chechnya. During the 1990s, the separatist government of Chechnya, an Islamic state within the Russian Federation, called for Russia to withdraw its troops from Chechen borders. When the Chechen rebels entered the theater in 2002, they echoed this sentiment and brought about the wrath of the Russian government.
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On October 23rd, 2002, Chechen separatists captured 800 hostages in the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow, Russia
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This siege was just the latest chapter in the long, violent relationship between Russia and Chechnya
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By the time it was all over, all of the rebels would be dead, along with over 100 hostages
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So, today we're going to take a look at the 2002 hostage crisis at the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow
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Okay, grab your gas masks and find your seats, because today's performance of Weird History is about to begin
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The people in what is now Chechnya have been fighting with Russia since the 18th century
0:42
The 2002 hostage crisis at Dubrovka Theater grew directly out of this uneasy history
0:47
The Caucasian Wars lasted from 1714 to 1864 and pitted the Russian Empire against several states in the Caucasus, including Chechnya
0:56
In the late 19th century, Chechnya was absorbed into the Russian Empire
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Rebellions against Russia and the USSR took place throughout the 20th century, and after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chechnya declared its independence
1:11
That same year, Vanilla Ice released his live album, Extremely Live. It was a good year
1:16
Internal political strife produced several coups, and the provisional government asked Moscow to help restore order in 1993
1:24
Russian troops invaded Chechnya in 1994, starting the First Chechen War. The war was devastating for both sides, resulting in thousands of deaths and displaced people
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A peace treaty was signed in 1996, but that peace didn't last for long
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In 1999, Vladimir Putin, then the prime minister of the Russian Confederation, invaded Chechnya to start the second Chechen war
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Putin claimed he was doing it because Chechen rebels were carrying out terrorist attacks in Moscow and other Russian cities
1:53
but there wasn't much evidence to support his claim. In fact, it was rumored that he may have been behind the bombings in three Russian cities that he used to justify his invasion
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Classic Putin. Russia eventually captured the Chechen capital, Grozny, and declared rule in 2000
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Putin appointed Ahmad Kadyrov as interim head of government. Kadyrov had previously been a separatist, so he was widely viewed as a traitor in Chechnya
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sort of like when Johnny Damon signed with the Yankees. I guess. I mean, I didn't care
2:23
In 2003, Chechnya passed a constitution that kept them under the Russian Federation
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Nonetheless, Chechen guerrillas carried out over 20 suicide bombings and attacks against the Russian-backed government from 2000 to 2004
2:37
one of which succeeded in taking out Kadirov. At the time of the Nord siege named after the show that was playing at the theater that night Ahmad Kadirov was still alive and still president of Chechnya
2:54
And the separatist resistance was led by 27-year-old Masar Badaiv. Badaiv was from a family of terrorists
3:02
His uncle perished in a six-day shootout with Russian forces in 2001
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and his aunt killed two soldiers in a suicide bombing in 2000
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Kedi Rav had a limited amount of clout in Chechnya, and according to one of his associates
3:14
he came to Moscow to die. Sounds like a slogan on a Cold War postcard
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Barayev's young age and lack of experience have been cause for speculation since the
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elaborate attack in October of 2002. The Nord-Ast siege reportedly cost over $60,000
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and Barayev may have been bankrolled by powerful rebels throughout Chechnya. This has led some to wonder whether he was the mastermind or just a scapegoat
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Nord Ost, the play being performed at the Dubrovka Theater, is a Russian musical based on the novel
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The Two Captains by Vinyanym Kaivaryin. The story is a war epic following Russian soldiers
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across several decades, from 1913 to 1943. The play was the brainchild of Georgi Vasiliev
3:57
who intended the production to honor Russian troops and emphasize the achievements of the
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Russian people. In other words, a prime target for militants looking to make a statement about
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Russian imperialism. Vasiliev, who found himself among the hostages on the night of the siege
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spent millions getting the Dubrovka ready for the production, and even wrote the music and lyrics
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along with Alexei Ivashenko. The cast included 180 performers and lasted three hours. That's a bit
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much, like a Scorsese Netflix film. Just after 9 p.m. on October 23, 2002, a fleet of black vans
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brought 40 to 50 separatists to the Dubrovka Theater, including members of a group of female
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suicide bombers known as the Black Widows. The separatists made their way inside during a love
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aria in the second act of the play and began firing bullets into the air. Because of the
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play's subject matter, some of the audience initially thought it was part of the show
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The rebels blocked off the doors, wired explosives, and ordered everyone to return to their seats
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threatening to eliminate anyone who moved. They demanded Russia withdraw from Chechnya
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or they would blow up the building, burying the hundreds of hostages they held inside
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According to reports, the Chechen rebels had more than 100 kilograms of explosives
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about 100 hand grenades, 3 heavy bombs, 18 Kalashnikov assault rifles, and 20 pistols
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more than enough to get anyone through several performances of Nord Ost and at least one
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matinee of Andrew Lloyd Webber's cats. Vladimir Putin, who by that time was the president of
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Russia immediately tied the militant group to larger global terrorism The claim was true to a certain extent but the attack indicated that Russia did not have the control over Chechnya it had claimed And it tough to take Putin at his word for much of anything The guy was in the KGB Russian special forces surrounded the theater
5:43
but they claimed they would not storm the theater unless the rebels began executing hostages
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Eager to bring their cause to the attention of the world, the Chechen militants were more than
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willing to talk to the media, which had gathered outside the theater with the police and other spectators
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Reporters interviewed the rebels and filmed inside the theater during the crisis, where the rebels spoke of their willingness
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to sacrifice their lives for their cause, in case that wasn't obvious from what they brought to the show
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The Russian government attempted to negotiate, but the rebels were not backing down
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Meanwhile, the conditions in the theater deteriorated as the siege wore on
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According to one account, rows of seats were rattling as hostages shook with fear
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The orchestra pit was being used as a toilet, and the people in the front row were sweating from the stench
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The rebels did release some of the children from the theater. Nonetheless, while the government later claimed no children were harmed, at least 10 would
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perish in the end. By the early morning of October 26th, three days into the siege, at least two hostages
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had perished. So Russian authorities decided to launch a surprise raid on the theater
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At 5 a.m., they began pumping gas inside the building with the intent of knocking the
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militants unconscious. In order to keep the counterattack secret, no medical or public
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health resources were contacted beforehand. To this day, no one knows precisely what type of gas
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was used. However, there is speculation that it may have been fentanyl, an opioid that can be
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hundreds of times more potent than morphine, which will definitely put people to sleep
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but your results waking them back up will vary. Russian forces entered the theater through the
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roof in the sewer, wearing gas masks. They overtook the building with relative ease
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encountering sleeping hostages and rebels. The only shots fired went into the militants
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who were all effectively executed while they were unconscious. However, by the time police started carrying out hostages
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many had stopped breathing. The few medics on the scene were not aware of the gas
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and had no idea what they were dealing with. Some hostages had expired in their seats inside the theater
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Others vomited as they were carried out. They gasped for air, but did not receive medical attention
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And with an unknown toxin in their bodies, there was little that could be done
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Most hostages were thrown into buses to remove them from the scene before television cameras
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could catch a glimpse. You might ask why they weren't loaded into ambulances
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but you are not the president of Russia. Overall, 129 of the hostages died as a result of the raid on the Dubrovka Theater
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including 18 members of the show cast and crew two of whom were just 13 and 14 years old Dmitry Milovidov lost his teenage daughter and numerous other families lost loved ones Russian authorities including President Putin stated that the gas could
8:27
not have caused the deaths, but never revealed exactly what had been released into the theater
8:32
Instead, they blamed the massive loss of life on stress, lack of fresh air, food and water
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and other illnesses, but definitely not the mysterious gas. Officials called the raid a
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success and praised themselves and the officers involved. Vladimir Phronichev, the coordinator of
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the raid, received the title of Hero of Russia from Putin, and no investigation was launched by Russia
8:58
Only two men have ever been tried in connection with the attack. Zairbek Tolkigov was convicted
9:04
as an accessory to hostage-taking and terrorism after tipping the rebels off about police actions
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Tolkigov's attorney claimed he was merely trying to speak to Baraiv on behalf of the Chechen
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representative in the Russian parliament and to secure the release of the wife and children
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of a Dutch national that had contacted him for help. Not the most believable defense
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Sounds like my client wasn't stealing. He was just trying to liberate this Forester from the
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Subaru dealership. Tolkigov was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. In 2017
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Kassan Zakhaev stood trial for his alleged participation in the organization of the event
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He pleaded guilty to the transfer of weapons, but maintained that he was not complicit in the attack
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itself. Nevertheless, Zakhaev was convicted and sentenced to 23 years. Garakhan Dudayev
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another alleged organizer of the attack, is the only perpetrator who has not been captured
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After the siege, conflicts between Russia and Chechnya continued, with Putin targeting the
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region even harder. In November of 2002, he rejected a partial withdrawal from southern
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Chechnya and refused to engage in talks with Chechen separatists. Officially, the Second
10:11
Chechen War ended in 2009 with the cessation of military operations. But violence between Chechen
10:17
and Russian factions continued. The families of the victims were left asking questions about the
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deaths of their loved ones, but never got answers. They blamed Putin, who apologized in 2002
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but never explained what happened. In a 2018 documentary, Putin defended his decision to
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stormed the theater to journalist Andrei Kondrashov. He claimed there was definitely no other option
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insisting that the rebels would have simply murdered the rest of the hostages had he met
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any of their demands, and that there would have been far more victims if he hadn't taken action
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When asked about the gas, Putin claimed that the necessary antidote wasn't properly administered
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to all the hostages due to a lack of experience of operating in such a situation. Hey, Putin
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What the hell was that gas? Is still not a question he cares to answer
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He also tellingly added, No one but me could make such a decision
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presumably while barely resisting the urge to wink at the camera