Vladimir Putin argued it was necessary to concentrate even more power in his hands to ensure that there is never a repeat of the Beslan school massacre

Ten days after Russia suffered the worst terror attack in its history, president Vladimir Putin argued it was necessary to concentrate even more power in his hands to ensure that there is never a repeat of the Beslan school massacre. Unveiling radical reforms to the way the country is governed and guarded, Mr Putin immediately drew criticism from Russia's liberal politicians, who accused him of using Beslan as an excuse to push through authoritarian measures that would turn Russia into a unitary state. "Such proposals have nothing to do with the security of people [or] with the fight against terrorism," claimed Vladimir Ryzhkov, a liberal deputy. "The Kremlin is simply using the momentum." Addressing the entire government and the country's 89 regional governors, Mr Putin said he would introduce a bill that would see Russia's once powerful governors appointed by him and not elected. He stressed the importance of "vertical" top-down power and strong central leadership saying that the terrorists who targeted Beslan had wanted to break up Russia itself.