The wife of a Russian officer, Hero of Russia Denis Vetchinov, perished in South Ossetia during the war in August 2008, came to the Republic on another anniversary of the war to visit the place of his death on the invitation of President Anatoly Bibilov.
Ekaterina Vetchinova came from Volgograd with her 14-year-old daughter Maria to tell her about her father's heroic deed. The words of support to the wife of the hero of Russia were expressed by President Anatoly Bibilov, who, during the commemorative action, together with other officials and guests, laid flowers at the monument to Denis Vetchinov.
The head of state has noted that heroes are proud and remembered in the Republic, and they are always glad to host their relatives.
"You can rightfully be proud of your spouse. He showed true heroism, and people of South Ossetia are grateful to him, as well as to all Russian servicemen who laid down their heads in the name of peace on the Ossetian land," the President said.
As noted by Yekaterina Vetchinova in an interview with journalists, “South Ossetia is for her friends, for whom her husband died”.
“Here Denis performed his duty, after which he was gone. 13 years have passed, my daughter has already grown up, and I wanted her to see with her own eyes where her father perished,” she said.
Vetchinova said that when she was informed about the death of her husband 13 years ago, she did not believe, the pain of the loss is still alive in her heart.
“They called me and said that Denis was on the list of the fallen. At first, I did not believe it, but then the second person called and said that he was dead. It was hard (...) and it is still hard,” said Vetchinova.
According to her, Denis was buried in Volgograd, but he was born in Kazakhstan.
“At the school he studied, a special corner is dedicated to him,” she said. “My daughter and I want more people to know that our dad didn’t just perish, he’s a hero.”
Ekaterina Vetchinova has noted that when remembering her deceased husband, three words come to mind: love, strength and care.
