Russia commemorates Beslan victims

Today, cities of Russia mark the Solidarity Day in the war on terror. Russian temples held requiems in memory of the victims of the acts of terror committed in Beslan and Moscow.

The mourning actions in North Ossetia began on September 1, when book exhibitions opened in two libraries of Vladikavkaz, devoted to the tragic events. September 2 was announced the Day of Silence.

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the tragedy thousands of people came to the city. All the day long, people were coming to the yard of School No. 1 in Beslan; mourning music sounded there; and people were given church candles at the entrance to the gym, where militants held 1200 hostages for almost 3 days.

Archbishop of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz Theophan today has served here a requiem moleben, the NTV reports.

At 1:05 p.m. Moscow time, a minute of silence was announced in North Ossetia in memory of the victims of the terror act in the Beslan school in 2004. On that very minute, five years ago, first explosions took placed in the mined school gym, where terrorists kept more than 1200 hostages, mostly children, for three days. Before the minute of silence, the bell sounded over Beslan; and then 334 white balloons - equal to the count of casualties - were sent flying into the sky, as reported by the "Interfax-South".

After the school, the mourning events took place at the memorial cemetery. Again white balloons were sent to the sky, and under the sound of metronome the names of all the casualties of the terror act, including special fighters and rescuers from the Ministry for Emergencies, were read aloud. In the evening, hundreds of candles will be lit and kept burning for the whole night.

Requiems in memory of the victims of acts of terrorism are held all across Russia. In Moscow, upon blessing of the Patriarch, the requiem was held in the Temple of Life-Giving Trinity.

In Russia, this day is considered to be the Solidarity Day in the war on terror. In Moscow, the commemoration actions were held in the values of terror acts: in front of the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre, in the Guryanova Street and Kashira Highway, the Channel One reports.

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has started today's sitting of the Presidium of the Government with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Beslan and Dubrovka terror acts, the ITAR-TASS reports.