South Ossetian volunteers taking part in the special operation to protect the inhabitants of Donbass were presented the DNR and the LNR awards, some posthumously. The event was held at the Public Chamber of South Ossetia.
Few people gathered in the hall - the volunteers themselves, their close relatives, the head of the Fund for the wounded who became disabled during the hostilities in South Ossetia from 1989 to 2008, Madina Plieva.
Awards have found heroes
As noted by the Chairman of the organization Sergey Kudziev, during the visit of representatives of the Public Chambers of Donetsk and Luhansk to South Ossetia, the guests noted the courage of the South Ossetian volunteers in the Donbass.
“It turned out that the Ossetians are always among the first on the front line, taking part in the most difficult military operations. However, due to modesty, as a national trait, they are not promoted and they do not have any awards. We prepared a list of participants and handed them over to our colleagues from the DNR and LNR. This is how our cooperation in these matters began,” Kudziev said.
Kudziev has reminded that the Public Chamber is developing cooperation with colleagues from other republics - Russia, the DPR, the LPR and others. Many South Ossetian guys took part as volunteers in defending the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk. Moreover, South Ossetia is the first state to recognize the independence of these republics. Since then, there has been active interaction with the two republics in various areas.
“There are many guys on the lists and the awarding will go in stages. For the heroism and courage shown, everyone will be awarded. Moreover, I think it is worth instructing one of the guys to regulate the issue of volunteers, so that both we and relatives can learn through him information about the fate of volunteers,” said the head of the South Ossetian Public Chamber.
According to Sergey Kudziev, the deputy of the People's Council of the DPR Sergey Kovalchuk, the Chairman of the Committee for the Disabled of War, Labor and Law Enforcement Agencies of the DPR Alexander Dyakov, the military ataman of the Black Sea Cossacks, a member of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Abkhazia Vadim Mironenko, assistant to the deputy People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Committee for War Disabled Persons and Law Enforcement Agencies of the DPR, Head of the Ossetian Diaspora of the DPR Elena Bazzaeva and Heads of the Public Chambers of the DPR and the LPR Alexei Karyakin and Alexander Kofman.
“All these people have done everything possible to ensure that the awards find the heroes. Aleksey Karyakin was the first to suggest rewarding the South Ossetian guys, as they are always at the forefront and really show miracles of heroism.
For the courage shown in the Debaltsevo operation, the guys were awarded medals and St. George's crosses. Among the awarded is Roland Doguzov.
The memory of the fallen defenders of Donbass was honored with a minute of silence.
Heroism is not a cause for pride
According to Madina Plieva, one should not forget the names of the South Ossetian volunteers who are fighting for peace in the Donbass.
“We perfectly understand Luhansk and Donetsk residents, as we ourselves experienced a terrible war unleashed by Georgia, and more than once. The South Ossetian people went through severe trials - devastation, hunger, blockade, etc. for us, the pain of Donetsk and Luhansk residents is our pain. Our guys left their homes and went to save civilians from neo-Nazis. Thank you, very much dear guys. I am looking at you, marveling at your modesty. You are sitting with your heads down, as if you were guilty before someone. And rightly so, heroism for Ossetians has never been a reason for pride,” she said.
Plieva expressed her gratitude to the parents of the South Ossetian defenders, who were able to raise real men not only for Ossetia, but also for the Donbass.
“It is very hard for your relatives, it is even hard to imagine what state they are in when their children are there, at war… The main thing is that you all return alive and healthy,” the head of the Fund has emphasized.
The event was held modestly, without unnecessary pomposity. The relatives of the lost guys did not hide their tears, looking at them, the guys were sitting with their heads bowed, it was impossible to hide the pain in their eyes, because they knew more about the last days of their comrades than anyone else present ...
