Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the southern city of Beslan to commemorate more than 300 people – mostly children – who died in a terrorist attack on a school almost 20 years ago.
On Tuesday, Putin laid red roses at the City of Angels Cemetery, where 266 of the 334 victims of the siege are buried. Afterwards, the president kneeled and made the sign of the cross.
Putin also honored the memory of service members of the elite Alfa and Vympel special ops units who died during the siege.
The Russian president also paid a visit to the school, which has been turned into a memorial complex. He was shown the walls covered with photos of the victims along with messages of condolences.
The terrorist attack on School No.1 in Beslan started on September 1, 2004 and lasted three days. It was one of the most tragic events in modern Russian history. The assailants, who included mostly Chechen and Ingush insurgents, took 1,100 people hostage, almost 800 of whom were children, all being held virtually without food or water.
Almost all of the 32 terrorists loyal to Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev taking part in the assault were killed as Russian forces stormed the facility.