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President Vladimir Putin: This is not the first time North Ossetia has come under attack by terrorists. North Ossetia is Russia’s southern outpost. But even the cruel attacks of the past pale beside this act of terrorism because this time, children were the target.

All of Russia is now with North Ossetia at this time, grieving together with you, thanking you and praying for you.

While still in Moscow I gave some instructions on our further action to identify and find everyone who had a part in this terrorist act. I gave the instruction to block exit from the town, close the North-Ossetia-Alania section of the state border, carry out targeted checks to find everyone involved in this terrorist act and close the republic’s administrative borders.

One of the terrorists’ aims was to foment interethnic hatred and send the North Caucasus into an explosion of violence. We will consider anyone who gives in to this kind of provocation as an accomplice in this terrorist act and a supporter of the terrorists.

I ask all of you present here, and the republic’s interior minister, to act according to this line. Now let us take a more detailed look at the situation and map out our next decisions. A separate issue later, of course, will be providing assistance to the victims, to the families of those who were killed, and helping the republic and the town.

Emergency situations minister Sergei Shoigu will remain here to work on this. The health minister and the education minister will also arrive here tomorrow.

We need to draw up a list of everyone who needs help and support. Alexander Sergeyevich [Dzasokhov], we will do all we can to help people, help them get treatment and restore their health. If you think it best to send them elsewhere for treatment and rehabilitation, we will organise this as soon as possible, as soon as their health permits, and will arrange for them, children and adults, to go to any treatment and health centres.

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Alexander Dzasokhov: I would like to say that the people have shown fortitude, courage and self-control. Here in your presence I would like to thank all our doctors and everyone whose job it is to work in such conditions – the doctors from the Emergency Situations Ministry and the Health Ministry. I would like to thank our teachers who really were all standing firm with this school and with their students. Now, of course, it is our duty to tell the people here the truth, to show what really happened as the facts become clear in order to realise the full danger and scale of the terrorists’ plans.

Vladimir Putin: I would like to thank, of course, everyone who worked here at the headquarters. As for the people in the special forces units, that is a separate conversation and we will meet with you. Unfortunately, we have suffered many casualties. We did examine all possible scenarios, of course, but we were not preparing to storm the building. Events developed quite fast and unexpectedly and followed their own logic. The people from our special forces units and the republic’s Interior Ministry showed courage and self-sacrifice.