23 октября исполнилось 11 лет захвату заложников на Дубровке — трагедия, о которой как-то постепенно забывается. Но только не родными погибших и бывшими заложниками, которые все эти 11 лет не перестают биться за правду. А именно — выясняют, кто издал приказ пустить по залу смертоносный газ и понесут ли спецслужбы ответственность за такую спасательную операцию, а власти — за бездарную помощь пострадавшим. Для «нордостовцев» этот, 2013 год стал своеобразным водоразделом. Российские власти окончательно показали им большую фигу: расследовать гибель 130 заложников как не собирались, так и не будем. Даже при наличии постановления Европейского суда, который в декабре 2011 года обязал российские власти провести эффективное расследование и представить «удовлетворительное и убедительное объяснение причин смерти заложников и установить степень ответственности должностных лиц за их смерть».

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Today is a sad anniversary. Eleven years ago, on October 23rd, 2002, Chechen militants stormed and took hostage the theater on Dubrovka in Moscow.

The up-to-date, newly remodeled, and beautifully furnished building was hosting the musical 'Nord-Ost'. Gathered here was not a poor crowd — the hall was full of nice suits and dresses, the scent of costly perfume, and the warble of pricey mobile phones.

In short, located here at ground zero were not the marginal members of society, but mainly representatives of the middle class that could spend a few hundred — a lot more money back then than nowadays — to go see this cultural project. Perhaps arguably cultural, since not one of the songs from the musical was even at least a «seasonal» hit, even after the tragedy.

The audience was probably about as happy as those not so poor people that bought tickets for the Titanic back in the day.

'Nord-Ost', meaning «a nor'easter» or northeast wind, turn out to be icy, and chilled all the way to the bone. The glamorous spectacle became a true hell on earth. Pale actors, in the remnants of their makeup, climbed down from windows and told reporters what was going on. What they said, of course, was confused, and confusing, which intensified the nightmarish atmosphere.

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September 16th — Day of Remembrance for the victims of the terrorist act in Volgodonsk

Today at 5:40 in the morning in the V-U quarter there began an event dedicated to the victims of the 1999 terrorist attack. Showing up first at the site of the tragedy, today as well as on that terrible day 14 years ago, were rescuers and firefighters, medical workers, law enforcement officers, representatives from the city, and relatives of the victims.

On September 16th, 1999, at 5:57 AM a vehicle packed with explosives equivalent to two tons of TNT blew up.

By its degree of damage, the attack at building number 35 on the Oktyabrskoe highway in the city of Volgodonsk is still considered the largest in Russia: damaged were 39 houses, a police station, two schools, a kindergarten, and a library. About 16,000 inhabitants (including a 1000 children) are officially recognized as victims. 19 Volgodonsk residents were killed, and 73 people became permanently disabled.

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On September 3rd, during the ninth anniversary of the tragic events in Beslan, an exhibition opened in the Arts Center on Michurin Street. This “upside down” exhibition was devised by a Samara artist named Frol Jolly, who became both curator of the project and one of its authors.

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