Swedish Professionals Say Moscow Special Forces Acted Correctly

Swedish defence and antiterrorist professionals say Moscow's special forces that freed the hostages acted correctly.

According to a Rosbalt's reporter, in an interview given to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper, a researcher from the Swedish Institute for Security Studies, Magnus Norrel said that, despite the high casualty rate, the command of the Moscow special forces had made the only correct decision when information had been received that the terrorist had begun killing hostages. He said that the combination of negotiations and preparations for a rescue operation had been the only correct tactics. In the meantime, the Swedish professional said that no exhaustive assessment of the operation could be made in the absence of detailed data.

In his interview with the same newspaper, Bertil Ulofsson, the commander of the Swedish special forces, said that after the killing of hostages had begun, the Russian authorities had done their duty. He added that dealing with kamikaze terrorists prepared to do anything with no regard for their own safety was far more complicated than acting in any other situation.