Operation Dark Horizon

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The attackers had numerous explosives, with the most powerful in the center of the auditorium. Spetsnaz operators from Federal Security Service (FSB) Alpha and Vympel, supported by a Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) SOBR unit, pumped a chemical agent into the building's ventilation system and began the rescue operation. The identity of the gas was not disclosed at the time, although it was believed to have been a fentanyl derivative. A study published in 2012 concluded that it had been a mixture of carfentanil and remifentanil. The same study pointed out that in a 2011 case at the European Court of Human Rights, the Russian government stated that the aerosol used was a mixture of a fentanyl derivative and a chemical compound with a narcotic action.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the cobblestones of the abandoned warehouse, masking the sound of boots against stone. Pulse adjusted his helmet, the thermal display in his visor painting the world in shades of blue and orange. He wasn't looking for a person; he was looking for a heartbeat. A faint red pulse flickered behind a reinforced concrete wall. 'Contact,' he whispered into the comms, his voice steady despite the adrenaline. The enemy thought they were invisible, but in this new age of warfare, nothing remained truly hidden.

Reader's Guide

Due to the layout of the theater, special forces would have had to fight through 30 metres (100 ft) of corridor and advance up a well-defended staircase before they could reach the hall in which the hostages were held. The attackers had numerous explosives, with the most powerful in the center of the auditorium. Spetsnaz operators from Federal Security Service (FSB) Alpha and Vympel, supported by a Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) SOBR unit, pumped a chemical agent into the building's ventilation system and began the rescue operation.

Did You Know?

• The attackers took approximately 850–900 people hostage, including members of the audience and performers, among them an MVD general.
• The terrorist leader told the hostages that the attackers (who identified themselves as a suicide squad from 'the 29th Division') had no grudge against foreign nationals and promised to release anyone who showed a foreign passport.
• The gunmen were led by Movsar Barayev, nephew of slain Chechen rebel militia commander Arbi Barayev.
• The attackers released 150 to 200 people, including children, pregnant women, Muslims, some foreign-born theater-goers and people requiring medical treatment in the early hours after they invaded.
• A study published in 2012 concluded that the gas used was a mixture of carfentanil and remifentanil.