Putin, emboldened by hostage crisis outcome, may hit Chechen rebels

Warning that "Russia cannot be brought to its knees", President Vladimir Putin appeared ready to use the bloody hostage drama in a Moscow theatre to bolster his hardline stance on Chechen rebels and to strengthen his grip on power.

A pre-dawn assault on the theatre by Russian forces on Saturday left more than 90 hostages and 50 of their Chechen captors dead, but officials insisted the rescue of more than 700 others showed they had averted even greater carnage.

The leading hostage-taker, Movsar Barayev, aged in his mid-20s, was among those killed when Russian elite special forces burst into the auditorium after first pumping a potent sleeping gas into the building, according to witnesses.

The dramatic storming of the theatre in southeastern Moscow ended a three-day ordeal for the hostages, hundreds of whom were seen running or stumbling outside as explosions and gunfire rang out.

They had been herded up by a group of around 50 male and female Chechen rebels armed with guns and explosives as they sat down to watch a popular musical on Wednesday evening.

The operation represented a gamble by Putin, who had resolutely refused throughout the crisis to cede to the Chechens' demands that he end Russia's bloody three-year war in their southern breakaway republic.

The president, in a televised address late Saturday, appealed to Russians to "forgive" the authorities for failing to save all the hostages but warned that Russia would never yield to "terrorists."

"We achieved the near impossible, saving hundreds, hundreds of people," Putin said. "We proved that Russia cannot be brought to its knees."

"But now I want to address the families and friends of those who died. We were not able to save everyone. Forgive us."

Putin expressed thanks for messages received from foreign leaders lending "moral and practical support in the fight against our common enemy".

He said he had spoken with one of the survivors in hospital, and had been told by the man: "I wasn't afraid. I was sure the terrorists would have no future."

The comments reflected the opinion of analysts who warned that Putin could use the event to strengthen his grip on the country and launch a tougher strategy against the separatists.

Andrey Piontkovsky of the Centre for Strategic Studies said the president could use the hostage crisis to justify launching a new front in the Chechen war, as he did in October 1999 when, as prime minister, he sent troops to the republic following a series of apartment bombings in Moscow.

"It was clear from the beginning that no matter how the hostage-taking ended, there would be a toughened stance on Chechnya," he said.

The Kremlin's new tough line may encounter little resistance from Europe and the United States who have muted their concern over human rights and their criticism of Russian policy in Chechnya, deeming it part of the global war on terror.

Officials said they ordered the assault after the rebels executed two male hostages around 5:15 am (0115 GMT) and opened fire on fleeing hostages, some of whom made it to safety. That report could not be independently confirmed.

The rebels had previously warned they would start killing the hostages if a deadline of 6 am for their demands to be met passed unanswered.

They had reportedly also rigged the theatre with explosives and a powerful bomb which one hostage said was to be set off in the event of an attack.

The special forces tackled that threat by pumping sleeping gas into the theatre.

They then quickly blasted their way through a wall and picked off several of the rebels before they had a chance to trigger their bomb and explosives.

The remaining fighters were captured and rushed away by security officials. None of the special force officers was seriously hurt, officials said.

Russian television showed the blood-caked bodies of Chechen rebels who had been killed during the operation. Black-robed Chechen women with explosives strapped to their bodies were shown slumped in chairs, apparently dead.

An Interfax news agency correspondent at the scene said he saw several rebels being led out of the theatre. Officials later said that just three had been arrested and prosecutors said they were interrogating the prisoners.

Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasilyev said the authorities' action had averted a far greater number of casualties.

"We managed to stop them (the rebels) from blowing the theatre up and avoided the mass death of hostages, including children," he said.

Interfax correspondent Olga Chernyak who had been among the hostages, said that if the theatre had not been stormed, all the hostages would have died.

"We were all expecting to die. We knew they would not let us go free," she said.

Vasilyev denied a report by Moscow Echo radio that the gas, which he described as "special substances", had caused some of the hostage deaths.

The radio had quoted doctors as saying some of the surviving hostages were in a poor state after breathing the gas and that those who died may have choked on their own vomit.

Television showed Putin in a white coat visiting patients in the Sklifasovsky Institute which specializes in emergency treatment.

The foreign ministry said no foreign hostages were killed in the operation, but the statement was thrown into doubt by the high toll figure. A web news service, gazeta.ru, reported that at least 546 of the freed hostages had been hospitalised, many in serious condition from the gas.

It said that a check of Moscow hospitals revealed that only "four or five" of the injured had received bullet wounds.

Authorities said earlier that 349 hostages had been hospitalised, many of them in serious condition.

Putin added: "He was right. They have no future. But we do."

A TV grab shows dead female hostage-takers inside a Moscow theater after Russian special forces stormed the building, October 26, 2002. Russian forces killed most of the Chechen guerrillas who had started to execute captive theatergoers, but some of the 700 hostages also died, officials said. (Pool via Reuters)

The body of a man thought to be a Chechen gunman lies at the entrance of a theater after it was stormed by special forces in Moscow, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002. Russian special forces stormed the building before sunrise Saturday to end the crisis. More than 90 hostages dead, but some 750 others freed and dozens of the assailants killed. (AP Photo/Gazeta)

Russian special forces take a detained man out of the Moscow theatre where Chechen rebels were holding hundreds captive. An official said 67 hostages and 34 rebels were killed when troops stormed the building on October 26. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

A Special forces officer escorts an arrested Chechen rebel at the Moscow theater entrance, early Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002. Special forces stormed the theater where Chechen rebels were holding hundreds of hostages before dawn Saturday. More than 700 captives were liberated. Sixty-seven hostages died in the crisis along with many of the gunmen, a top official said. (AP Photo/ Dmitry Lovetsky

Chechen refugees watch Russian television footage showing a killed female captor after Russian special forces stormed a Moscow theater, in a refugee camp near Karabulak, Ingushetia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002. Gunfire rattled in the theater at dawn Saturday and Russian special forces pumped it full of sleeping gas before troops stormed the building, killing 42 Chechen rebels and freeing more than 700 captives in the third day of a hostage drama. Officials said 67 captives were killed. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

Russian special forces remove a gunman from a theater where Chechen guerrillas were holding hundreds captive in Moscow October 26, 2002. Russian forces stormed the theater on Saturday after the gunmen started killing their hostages, ending a three-day siege in a dawn operation in which scores died, a security official said. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

A special forces officer wearing a gas-mask is seen through a hole in a poster of the musical 'Nord-Ost', which was fastened on the theater seized by armed Chechen rebels in Moscow, early Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002. Special forces troops took control of a Moscow theater before sunrise Saturday where hundreds of hostages were being held by Chechen rebels, killing their leader and freeing most of the captives. Russian special forces used sleeping gas to take control of the scene, state-controlled ORT television reported. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Members of the Russian police special forces shake hands, October 26, 2002, in front of the theater banner reading 'Nord-Ost', a popular musical played when Chechen 'suicide squad' stormed in two days ago and took 700 people hostage. A total of 34 Chechen rebels were killed and several others were taken captive when Russian security forces stormed a Moscow theater where 700 people had been held hostage, state security chief Nikolai Patrushev said. REUTERS/Radu Sigheti

Moscovites light candles for victims of the theater raid, during a religious service in Orthodox Pokrovsky Cathedral in Moscow, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002. Special forces stormed the Moscow theater where Chechen rebels were holding hundreds of hostages before dawn Saturday. More than 700 captives were liberated, Sixty-seven hostages died in the crisis along with many of the hostage takers. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

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