Waiting for the hostages

Relatives demand an end to the war in Chechnya

By Steve Rosenberg BBC correspondent in Moscow

Normally, Dubrovsky Street looks like any other Moscow street, in any Moscow neighbourhood. Five-storey, Soviet-era tenements line the road.

Trolley bus wires stretch between lampposts. A few token trees poke out from behind the concrete corners.

Today though, Dubrovsky Street looks like no other street in Moscow. It is the closest thing you will come to in the Russian capital to a war zone.

There are police barricades and elite Russian forces taking up position.

Some children have been released from the theatre

Fire engines and ambulances are standing by and a mass of TV cameras points towards the local theatre, further down the street.

Inside the theatre are hundreds of hostages who have been held at gunpoint for two days now.

Their captors are several dozen Chechens who are demanding an immediate end to Russia's war in Chechnya.

Masked and wearing camouflage, they are armed with automatic rifles.

Some are reported to have explosives strapped to their bodies. They say they are ready to die for their cause.

Ready too, to kill their hostages if their demand for an end to the war is not met.

Worsening conditions

Conditions inside the theatre are said to be growing worse by the hour. Food and water are running short.

Sanitation is a problem, and the health of some of the hostages is causing concern.

Outside, in the damp cold of a Moscow autumn evening, relatives and friends of some of the hostages are holding a small demonstration behind police lines.

They're clutching hastily-made placards with slogans calling for the Russian Government to meet the gunmen's demands for the sake of the hostages.

Rumours spread

'Pull the troops out of Chechnya,' reads one, 'Mr President, end the war in Chechnya and save our people,' reads another.

The mood is subdued. Rumours have spread that the gunmen are growing impatient and preparing to shoot their hostages.

I hope our government is wise, says Sergei, whose friends are trapped inside the theatre, we don't want them to storm the building.

We want a peaceful end.

Then word comes that some of the children being held are to be freed. This is welcomed with some relief by those gathered outside.

But is not enough for those waiting in the rain, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives, all longing to have their loved ones returned safely and soon.

As the wait goes on, members of a Russian musical gather at the baricade. They sing out their songs in support of their colleagues being held in the theatre. The melodic strains are heard along the street.

It is a gesture of solidarity and provides a brief distraction for those waiting patiently for any further release of hostages.

For now all they can do is wait and who knows for how long that wait will be.