controls. Additionally, some Black Widows have brothers or close relatives who were killed in one of the two Chechen wars between Russia and Islamist rebels since 1994 or in clashes with Russian-backed forces. These women may be driven by grievances or they may feel it is the only option to get their viewpoint seen. Kurz and Bartles offer another view of Black Widows' motives, arguing that these women are much more motivated by revenge, despair, and their drive for an independent state than by religious fundamentalism or individual honor. They may feel that terrorism is a strategy when there is no peaceful outlet to affect politics or that it is the only option for people with extremist views. Black Widows may be driven by the idea of Chechnya gaining independence from Russia or they may have joined the terrorist movement because they were brainwashed and needed a sense of belonging when they were in a state of political turmoil. It's important to note that the Black Widows rarely do interviews, so very little is known about their lives. After the Dubrovka theater attack, hostages gave mixed reports about what motivates the Black Widows. During the attack, some female suicide bombers reportedly told hostages how their family members had been killed in the war and they felt they had nothing left, thus, meaning they were motivated by family connections. Other hostages reported that some of the Black Widows only talked about the Koran, had extremist view points, and were hard to reason with. Majority of Black Widows are uneducated which may be the result of these extreme perspectives. This also suggests that Black Widows, may be driven by ideals about religion or maybe out of touch with reality, and brainwashed by the men in their lives to join the cause. Media depictions The media depicts the female suicide bombers in two main ways, as motivated by the deaths of men in her life or as in a situation of hopelessness where she is forced into terrorism to get her voice heard. Both the Russian government and Chechen groups portrayed the Black Widows in these ways to support their respective positions. Chechen terrorist leaders emphasized women as victims to humanize the Russian-Chechen Conflict. Media coverage tends to show the female terrorists motives as emotional, such as due to loss of a relative, rather than ideological or political, such as gaining independence from