MOSCOW – A wounded Russia threatened yesterday to strike against terrorists “in any region of the world,” offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the killing or capture of Chechnya’s top rebel leaders, and criticized America for its willingness to hold talks with Chechen separatists.

The announcements marked a show of resolve aimed at Russia’s stunned citizens, as well as Western countries President Putin accuses of hindering its fight against terror, in the wake of three attacks that killed more than 400 people in the past two weeks. In a nationally televised meeting, Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov also briefed Mr. Putin on the investigation into the taking of more than 1,200 hostages in a school last week in the southern town of Beslan.

His was the first official acknowledgment that the number of hostages had been so high; the government initially said about 350 people were seized. A regional official later said the number had been 1,181. Colonel General Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, asserted Russia’s right to strike beyond its borders.

“As for carrying out preventive strikes against terrorist bases…we will take all measures to liquidate terrorist bases in any region of the world,” he told reporters. General Baluyevsky made his comments alongside NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, General James Jones, after talks on Russia-NATO military cooperation.

E.U. officials reacted cautiously to General Baluyevsky’s statements, with spokeswoman Emma Udwin saying she could not be sure whether they represented government policy. Ms. Udwin said the 25-nation E.U. is against “extra-judicial killings” in form of preemptive strikes.