Actually, the Chechens are no more Slavic than Osama bin Laden. Chechnya has only been inside Russia since about the 1860's, and before that has been essentially mountain tribes that were converted to Islam centuries before the Slavs even came near the area.
Our prayers are with the hostages and their families, and with the bravery and skill of the rescuers.
I believe the networks did a real disservice by not reporting very much on this, yet I also believe that had there been a huge explosion and a thousand people killed, they would have rushed to cover it.