Russian President Apologizes to Russians

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, October 27, 2002

Russian President Apologizes to Russians

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Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the relatives of killed hostages in a televised address on Saturday evening and praised the special forces operation to rescue the hostages held in a Moscow theater by Chechen rebels.

"We were unable to save everybody. We ask forgiveness," he said.

"We achieved almost the impossible -- we saved the lives of hundreds, yes hundreds of people. We showed that Russia cannot be brought to her knees. But now I want most of all to address the relatives and the loved-ones of those who died," he noted.

Russian special forces at dawn Saturday ended the siege of a Moscow theater where more than 800 people had been held hostage by a gang of up to 50 Chechen gunmen for nearly 57 hours.

According to the latest official reports from the Health Ministry, 90 hostages died during the rescue operation.

50 hostage-takers have been killed, including 32 men and 18 women. Two other were detained, the Russian Security Service said.

"I thank all Russian citizens for their support and unity. Special thanks to those who helped to free the hostages, particularly the special units, who fought for the lives of otherswithout hesitation, without regard for their own life," Putin stressed.

Putin also extended his thankfulness to Russia's friends for their moral and practical support in the fight against international terrorism.

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