Leading politicians and other observers have issued fresh warnings that tensions between Ossetians and Ingush, exacerbated by the September 1 school siege in Beslan, could soon explode into violence. Ingushetia's former president, Ruslan Aushev, whose early mediation efforts with the Beslan hostage-takers, who reportedly included... MORE

Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov announced on September 21 that criminal cases have been launched against three senior police officials in Beslan, North Ossetia, for negligence entailing grave consequences in connection with the school hostage seizure that began on September 1 and ended with deaths... MORE

The tragedy in Beslan left local Ossetians with the question, "Who is to blame?" After terrorists seized the school, the first reaction from Beslan's residents was to take revenge on their neighbors -- the Ingush. Official statements that the hostage-takers came from Ingushetia immediately lit... MORE

This month's hostage crisis in Beslan, North Ossetia, and the hundreds of fatalities resulting from officials' failure to rescue the captives have produced a political standoff in the republic. Inspired by relatives of the dead hostages, opposition forces are demanding the resignation of republic president... MORE

In his September 4 address to the nation concerning the Beslan tragedy, President Vladimir Putin cited the corrosive effect that corruption has had on the country's judicial and law-enforcement systems as one of the reasons for the wave of terrorism sweeping Russia. On September 11,... MORE

In an article headlined "Silence of Political Elite Is Deafening," the Moscow Times today (September 10) notes that much of Russia's political elite has "kept painfully quiet" about the Beslan school tragedy -- a function of its fear of "antagonizing the Kremlin," as Igor Bunin,... MORE

A newspaper reported today (September 8) that one of the men who commanded the group that seized School No. 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, was a former Ingushetian police officer. According to Vremya novostei, an insurgent who went by the nom de guerre "Magas" led... MORE

The September 1 terrorist attack in Russia's North Ossetian town of Beslan has not led the Kremlin to reassess its stance on neighboring Georgia. Moreover, many Russian policymakers and analysts have begun to search for traces of Georgian involvement in the Beslan tragedy. Russian attempts... MORE

Russia's President Vladimir Putin urged a radical restructuring of the country's security system after the hostage crisis in North Ossetia ended in a major bloodbath. But some influential analysts argue that the Kremlin's policies in the Caucasus need to be drastically changed to prevent a... MORE

Russian special forces on September 3 took control of Middle School No. 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, which was seized by gunmen on September 1. Fighting broke out in the early hours of September 3 after the hostage-takers agreed to allow the removal of the... MORE