# Beslan school siege (2004)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/2004-beslan-school-siege
Categories: main-event

Militants seized School No. 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, on the first day of the school year, taking over 1,100 hostages. The siege ended in explosions and fighting; 334 hostages died, 186 of them children. Putin then abolished direct elections of regional governors. Beslan was the deadliest terrorist attack in Russian history.

## Why it matters
Beslan was the deadliest terrorist attack in Russian history.

Ruler at the time: [Vladimir Putin](https://history-russia.com/rulers/vladimir-putin-2000)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Beslan school siege](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_siege)
- [Wikipedia — History of the Russian Federation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Russian_Federation)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Beslan school siege](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Beslan+school+siege)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)