Shamil Basayev became involved in the nearby Dagestan War after he lost his bid for president. This prompted Vladimir Putin to launch the Second Chechen War, which successfully reclaimed Grozny for the Russians. Since then, Chechnya has been officially under Russian control, but there is still a strong insurgency. In 2003, Shamil's subordinate launched an attack on a theater in Moscow. 850 hostages were taken and demands were made (the Chechens wanted an immediate Russian withdrawal from Chechnya). After a few days of negotiation, Putin allowed the Russian Spetsnaz to enter. The Spetsnaz pumped a sleeping agent into the theater and knocked many of the terrorists and hostages asleep. The Spetsnaz then entered and killed all of the terrorists. Afterwards, many of the hostages got sick from the gas. In 2004, Shamil's men launched an attack on a school in Beslan. 1200 teachers, parents, and children were taken hostage and held in atrocious conditions for several days. Eventually, the Russians raided the school. Many civilian casualties resulted from the fire that resulted and approximately 1/4 of the hostages were killed. In 2006, Shamil was killed (probably by Russian security forces). For more information: Theage.com http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/documents/shamil/shamil.htm http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2002/1104/cover/story.html http://www.caucasus.dk/publication1.htm http://www.smallwarsjournal.com/documents/wolvesden.htm http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/chechnya2.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3624136.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3627406.stm Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine