In his first visit today to the school in Beslan, North Ossetia, where a bloody, hours-long hostage situation unfolded 20 years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the massacre to the military operation by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.

“Just as we fought the terrorists, today we must fight those who commit crimes in the Kursk region, Donbass, New RussiaPutin said in a video posted on Telegram.

Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, is largely controlled by Ukrainian forces, and the expression “New Russia” refers to the plan to create Russian territories in parts of southern and eastern Ukraine.

“Just as we achieved our goals in the fight against terrorism, we will achieve them in the fight against neo-Nazis and we will undoubtedly punish the criminals,” Putin added, returning to his argument of “de-Nazification» of Ukraine.

These statements were made on the sidelines of his visit to School No. 1 in Beslan – his first at the site of the tragedy – to honor the memory of the victims. More than 1,000 people were held hostage by a group of Chechen Islamists on September 1, 2004, and for the next 50 hours, under terrible conditions. The nightmare ended with the intervention of special forces and led to a bloodbath: around 330 dead, 186 of whom were children.

Putin visited the school and the cemetery where most of the victims were buried. He knelt at the base of a monument and left red roses, footage released by the Kremlin press office shows. He then laid flowers at the memorial to the Russian special forces soldiers who were killed in the attack on the school.

“This tragedy will undoubtedly remain an incurable wound in the historical memory of all of Russia“, said the Russian president.

On March 22, Russia experienced its worst attack since Beslan in 2004.

Gunmen opened fire on the Crocus City Hall concert hall, northwest of Moscow, and then set it on fire. The attack killed 145 people and injured hundreds. More than 20 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, including the four alleged perpetrators, all of whom are from Tajikistan.

Although the Islamic State group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, Russian authorities continued to blame Ukraine, which categorically denies any involvement in the case.