Was the assault on ‘Nord-Ost’ avoidable? It is hard to imagine how our government will answer the questions from Strasbourg

In the beginning of April, the Strasbourg court began working on a complaint by 57 victims of the ‘Nord-Ost’ case, under the collective name “Chernetsova and others against Russia” (see Novaya Gazeta #27 from April 16th, 2007).

An exhibition of films on that 21^st-century disease — terrorism — took place in the building housing the local branch of the actor's union, or 'House of Actors'. The spectators saw films on the apartment blasts on the Kashirsk highway, and on the tragedy at 'Nord-Ost'. Voronezh was touched by these terrible events — the bloody hands of the terrorists reached even here. We also lived through that cold 'northeast' wind, but not at the theatrical center at Dubrovka, but in the nearby PTU (polytechnic university). During the act of terror more there were more people there than in the theater. For three days relatives of the hostages remained at the PTU and forever afterwards were joined together in tragedy. Officially they have banded together in order to help those affected by the terrorist attacks on Beslan, Moscow, Voronezh, and New York, to get on with lives.