Beslan: failures

Andrei Soldatov, Irina Borogan / Agentura.Ru /

The main mistake of storm in Beslan is that Osetian militia and paramilitary forces took part in this battle. Because it became battle in the city, not  the special operation. Now it is some kind of official point of view of  Russian secret services.

But we can’t accuse local people in failure of special forces operation.

The main problem in Beslan was fact, what FSB an MVD has given a management of operation to local authorities.

For these cases FSB has operational-tactical plan called “Nabat”. According to this plan, chief of local FSB division becomes chief of antiterrorist operation staff.

But for last five years FSB never gave this role to local FSB generals. In September 2000, when three bandits have grasped in hostages  some local people in village near Sochi (on Black Sea), two top officers from FSB and MVD were  named chiefs of operational staff - deputy minister of internal affairs Kozlov and deputy director of FSB, chief of antiterrorist department Ugrumov.

Two years later, in Moscow, special services have repeated this scheme:  deputy minister of internal affairs Vasiliev and deputy director of FSB Pronichev have headed a staff in Dubrovka.

Now FSB officers talk us, that absence of Moscow generals in Beslan is only result of Nord-Ost storm. Nobody wants to take the responsibility, when only one child victim will be the failure of whole operation.

In this case plan Nabat was very convenient. General Andreev, chief of Osetian division of FSB, was named as chief of operational staff, and after that Beslan became local problem.

But in his level he can’t provide perimeter of safety around the school. We saw units from non-osetian regions  in Beslan only after storm. Perimeter was provided by local militia troops, and it was vary naïve to think this people can stop parents of hostages.

In reality, local militia not only not stop civilian, but provide journalists to area near school. Day before storm one of Osetian officers lead us on the positions of his troop - in 30 meters right from school, where we can see killed hostages. Terrorists have thrown out bodies from windows. He said:

- Please, take pictures. Please, write about it. Authorities assert, that they hold only 300 hostages. We all know it’s not true, they hold more than 1000 people. We don’t want Nord-Ost.

In day of storm special operation units of FSB (Alfa and Vimpel) don’t be prepared to storm. In 13.05, when storm started, some units were far away from Beslan. They found the similar school in one of small town in this region and they have been fulfilling coordination in the fight. It’s normal practices for our special forces.

Some officers of Alfa and Vimpel were near school, but they have been only holding observant points. So, some of officers were without bullet-proof vests.

The first explosion has broken windows of a sports hall, and children have seen chance to escape. They have run, and terrorists began to shoot him at a back. Today it is difficult to understand, who the first began to shoot - militia or special services. But after that operation of special forces became city battle. We never forget, how one of local people shouted near 14.00:

- We need the hunting cartridges,  please, find it!

In this moment battle was not only in the school. It was some kind of guerrilla war, because shooting went in area around. Some people have been shooting, some searching terrorist informers. We sow how two soldiers found woman in white. They decided she is terrorist. Only fast occurrence of her husband has rescued her.

In first hour after storm began the staff  was unlikely to manage the situation. In 14.00 we sow how president of South Osetia Eduard Kokoity (he went to Beslan in first day) odered about soldiers a cordon. He was president of other country, but he was one of the people, who made of the decision in staff. And nobody wondered it.

Almost three hours local troops have been hunting one after another. Last explosion were in 23.15. It was the tank. It shot on last alive three insurgents who sat in a cellar.

It was collapse of special services and central authorities.