Sunday is the 20th anniversary of the Beslan school massacre in Russia, the bloodiest attack on the nation in modern history that claimed the lives of over 330 people, the majority of whom were children, during a hostage standoff.
For the first time since the tragedy, Russian President Vladimir Putin—who was in office at the time of the attack—visited the school last month. He compared the incident to the ongoing Ukrainian military offensive in Russia’s Kursk area.
In the Caucasus area of North Ossetia, on September 1, 2004, the first day of the school year, militants, including Chechens, stormed School Number One in the town of Beslan.
More than 1,100 individuals, including students, instructors, and parents, were gathered in the school’s gymnasium and held hostage for around 50 hours.
After Russian special forces launched a disorganized assault, it culminated in a carnage that left 334 dead, including 186 children, and more than 750 wounded.
According to the official agenda, survivors of the atrocity are expected to assemble in the playground on Sunday to commemorate the victims’ images.
After that, the burned-out former gymnasium of the school, which has been turned into a monument, is where kids, survivors, and officials are supposed to place flowers and candles.
Mothers of Beslan — a group of parents whose children were killed that has long called for an objective probe into the attack and the Russian authorities’ response — will also hold a press conference.
