On October 23 , 2002 , Chechen separatists took over a Moscow theater . Over 700 people inside were taken hostage in what has been called the Moscow theater hostage crisis . The separatists demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and threatened to blow up the building if authorities attempted to enter . Three days later , Russian commandos stormed the building after the hostages had been subdued with a sleeping gas , shooting the unconscious militants , and killing over 100 civilian hostages with the sleeping gas in the process . In the aftermath of the theater siege , Putin began renewed efforts to eliminate the Chechen insurrection . ( '' For additional details on the war in Chechnya under Putin , see Second Chechen War . '' ) The government canceled scheduled troop withdrawals , surrounded Chechen refugee camps with soldiers , and increased the frequency of assaults on separatist positions
Moscow theater hostage crisis
Moscow theater hostage crisis
History of Russia (1991–present)