On October 23, 2002, armed Chechen militants took over 800 hostages at a theater in Moscow during a performance of a popular musical. The militants demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya. The Russian government responded by storming the theater after several days of tense negotiations, resulting in the deaths of 129 hostages due to gas used to subdue the attackers. The crisis highlighted the brutal tactics used by separatist movements and the controversial methods employed by the Russian government in handling terrorism.