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How dare you compare Reagan with the murderer Putin.

The comparison was made by the president of American University in Moscow, and it was valid. Furthermore, you have not one shred of evidence Putin murdered anyone.

And that includes the children his Special Forces thugs killed in Moscow and Beslan.

This is an evil monstrous lie on your part. Not only did the Russian Spetsnaz not kill anyone, many of them gave their lives to save those children.

Russian Spetsnaz heroes at Beslan.

Alexander Perov, major ("Alpha"), was leading one of the assault teams. In the combat terminated one of the 4-squad terrorists, that do extensive fire at the room with 150 hostages. Personally covered children's evacuation from school. Forestalling the grenade explosion, the officer shielded 3 children by himself. Even with vital wounds he continue to command the team.

Dmitry Razumovskiy, lieutenant colonel ("Vympel"), was leading one of the assault teams, terminated 2 terrorists near the school yard. Revealed masked weapon emplacement that was machine-gunning the running children. Distracting the machine-gunners attention to himself, break through to the emplacement. Had got the vital wound saving the hostages.

Oleg Il'in, lieutenant colonel ("Vympel"), was one of the first into action, terminated 2 terrorist in close combat, suppressed the others in the first phase of operation. Covered the running children and wounded doctor. With missile wound did not turn to the rear, continued to suppress the incoming fire and encounered the second wave of terrorist, trying to escape from school. Sacrificing his life, he covered the hostages and made possible to deploy other teams.

Andrey Turkin, lieutenant ("Vympel"), terminated the terrorist at the school's entrance, and made possible to begin evacuation in room with 250 hostages. The grenade that was rolling to the crowd of hostages he covered by his body.

Vyacheslav Malyarov, major ("Alpha"), cut the extensive fire on children inside the corridor by his body. With vital wounds he continued the combat and wounded 2 terrorists, thus making them run.

Oleg Los'kov, ensign ("Alpha"), with the assualt team encountered the group of terrorists trying to escape with hostages. He wounded one of the terrorists, and shielded the group of hostages.

Andrey Vel'ko, major ("Vympel"), with the assault team was one of the first entering the school. Terminated one of the terrorists and covered the group. Then entered in contact with terrorist, that was moving with the hostages, and killed him. Received a lot of vital wounds during hostages extraction.

Roman Kasatonov, major ("Vympel"), during the siege entered the school and terminated 2 of the terrorists. Found out 2 childrens, and during their evacuation was killed with machine-gun fire.

Michail Kuznetsov, major ("Vympel"), during the special operation was able to evacuate 20 hostages, and was killed during the close combat with 2 terrorists, both were dead by his hand.

Denis Pudovkin, ensign ("Vympel"), terminated one of the terrorist that was firing at running children. Under the heavy fire he was evacuating the wounded. Even with missile wound he continue the job. Shielded the woman from the bullets, and killed another terrorist, but received the vital wounds.

God bless these brave men and their families.

Let me see - how to prove that Russians have no regard for their own children?

I suppose if they fired weapons of multiple destruction on the school, that would suffice - right Freepers?

"After months of denials, the prosecutor's office admitted this summer that the Russians had fired powerful shoulder-fired rockets, known as Shmels, at the school. Some families believe the rockets caused or accelerated the blaze, although this is not clear.

Whatever the rockets' actual effect, the bereaved mothers say, their presence demonstrated the government was willing to use indiscriminate force where children were present.

There is similar anger and disbelief over the use of tanks. One witness, Teimuraz Konukov, said that at about 2:30 p.m. he lay behind a tree across the street and watched a Russian tank fire its main barrel into the school's facade. Hostages remained inside at the time.

Prosecutors insist the tank did not fire until evening, after all the hostages had escaped or were dead. Konukov, whose version aligns with what was witnessed by two journalists from The New York Times, is incredulous. "I was right here," he said, pointing to the spot.

No full explanation has been given for the even more extensive tank shooting later in the day that destroyed one of the school's wings.

Nurpasha Kulayev stands in a cage in the courtroom, rarely raising his eyes. Russia claims he is the sole surviving terrorist from the siege; his trial had been expected to bring a deeper understanding of those days. Instead it has become a showcase of contempt for the government.

Families contest even the authorities' most basic claims. The prosecutors, for example, say 32 terrorists seized the school - 30 men with automatic rifles and 2 women wearing suicide bombs. Thirty-one of them died, according to this account. (They are not counted among the 331 victims.) But many survivors and participants insist they saw at least four other men who were captured and have not been seen again, and a third woman. Their faith in the official version has been further undermined because Russia has not publicly identified all the terrorists it says were killed.

The trial's conduct has also perplexed the families. The officers who arrested Kulayev have not testified, but people who knew little of him are regularly on the stand. At a recent hearing the slate of witnesses so frustrated one woman that she stood and loudly scolded the judge.

The trial is only one example of what families here regard as official incompetence and callousness.

A crime-scene video taken the morning after the battle, leaked to the Mothers Committee, shows investigators shoveling ashes among the dead. At one point two men discover a dead girl, and unceremoniously toss her blackened body into a bag.

Families say evidence was lost or mishandled, a conviction that deepened in February when residents found charred items from the school in a local dump. In the mess were human remains: tangles of hair and dried skin.

They also wonder why the school was secured for less than 36 hours after the battle - scant time for forensics work. Instead of serving as a resource for investigators, Kesayev said, the bloody ruins were converted "to a place for pilgrimages and excursions."

The prosecutors have responded by declaring his commission illegal - a declaration of no legal standing, and one that Kesayev said fits a pattern. "Every agency wants to be first in line for their medals," he said. "And last in line to take responsibility for the failures." "