After several hours of fighting and Russian reinforcements imminent, the Chechens retreated to the residential district and regrouped in the city hospital, where they took between 1, and 1, hostages, most of them civilians including about children and a number of women with newborn infants. The strike force attacked the hospital compound at dawn on the fourth day, meeting fierce resistance. Kyiv Post. However, mere existence of such group within SVR is denied by Russian authorities. Main article: Operation Magistral.
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