ESSENTUKI, March 24, 2004 (RIA Novosti)-On Wednesday in Essentuki (Stavropol Territory, bordering northern Chechnya), President Vladimir Putin met with the families of law enforcement officers who were killed in the North Caucasus.
The president expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.
"I want to thank you for being close to, supporting, and raising these people," the president said. "They have saved the lives of, without exaggerating, tens and hundreds of our citizens. They gave their lives for their duty."
Mr. Putin gave the families the awards that the state had rewarded the officers.
