Talks proceeding in Russian hostage situation

CORRECTION: In one of my comments below I incorrectly gave the impression that my wife let me sleep in. It was the dogs that let me sleep in.

Reuters reports:

BESLAN, Russia (Reuters) – Gunmen held hundreds of children and adults captive in a school gym into the night in turbulent southern Russia Thursday, but the Kremlin remained silent about an attack amounting to a huge humiliation.

Officials in North Ossetia, a province near unruly Chechnya, were trying to build contacts with 17 attackers who herded pupils, parents and teachers into the gym after bursting into a ceremony marking the start of a new school year Wednesday.

For extensive links and commentary throughout the blogosphere see Backcountry Conservative

I can provide a little more detail courtesy of Gazeta.ru. The code for the diagram is as follows:

1. School building
2. Central entrance
3. Inner yard, where the attack took place
4. Gymnasium, where the hostages are
5. Windows of the building facade “Living shield”
6. Emergency exit
7. Boiler-room where hostages hid
8. Sports complex
9. Stadium

And here’s a partial translation of an editorial from Gazeta.ru:

A wave of terror covers Russia. We have become accustomed to what has been happening and what will happen under
the Chechnyan “Counter-terrorist operation”. What has happened over the last few days appears to be the terrorist counter-operation.

The seizure of a school with children even for the present terrorist way
is a scene that is completely out of line. It is not merely a challenge. It is
the last straw. Christianity does not admit of blood feuds. But anyone who
stakes the life of a child cannot be reckoned as human. These creatures may
have no God, may have no people. This threat to kill a child is a renunciation
of membership in the family of man, it is like killing your own mother.

The Russias may expect dreadful hours, even days. On the one hand there is a principle “don’t make concessions to terrorists”. For by this
we only take the risk of further sacrifice. But on the other hand there is no
principle by which one can sacrifice children.

It is in this reckoning that one renounces the humane. Because the Russian power is bound, in the first place, to save children, and in the
second place to give such an answer that no one would think that this has been a successful experiment. If the government cannot do this, then what is it good for?

The scale of the war declared on Russia in the last week is such that it is impossible to endure political games about it.

The domestic political situation in Russia today is this. The War on Terror and the second Chechnyan campaign have always key factors in the rise
of President Putin to power. And one of his main assets (lit. skates). Every terrorist act is exploited by the Kremlin to reinforce the political position of his power base. Conversely, Putin’s political opponents have not missed the opportunity to point out that Putin has not been able to resolve the problems
of terrorism and the Chechnyan situation as a whole.

The terrorist war against Russia which has not ceased in its relentless escalation is just just a problem for Putin. It is a problem for Russia.

And to give this principle political reality Putin must hear an array of unpleasant questions and answer that array of unpleasant questions.

The commentary goes on to call for strong measures to bring stability to both Chechnya and the Caucasus.

UPDATE: I’m posting ongoing updates on the situation here.

UPDATE: This entry has been submitted to the Beltway Traffic Jam.