In September, it became known about the captured senior sergeant Taimuraz Yesenov from Ossetia, who received the title of Hero of Russia for courage, bravery and heroism shown during a special military operation in Ukraine.
Taimuraz is listed as missing. On September 21, First Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Ruslan Tsalikov presented the Golden Star of the Hero of Russia to his relatives. The award ceremony was held in the capital of the Republic of North Ossetia - Vladikavkaz.
His family and friends are still waiting for his return. They do not want to admit the thought that Taimuraz may be among the lost.
“I don't know what has to happen for Taimuraz to be broken. Even under severe torture, he refused to surrender the positions of our units. He is a born hero. He always acted boldly and bravely,” said his comrade Arsen Siukaev.
Arsen and Taimuraz took part in the special military operation together. That ill-fated day, when Taimuraz was captured by the nationalists, Siukaev remembers in detail.
“On this day, we were advancing on the Sladkoe area. Yesenov entered from the left side of the district and moved into the territory. There was a huge steppe there, he was without a map, and without a map it is absolutely impossible to navigate, because the areas there are large. Taimuraz got lost and went into a completely different area. He wanted to turn around, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine immediately noticed him, and a fight ensued between them, ”said Siukaev.
About what happened next, Siukaev has known from the words of eyewitnesses. According to him, the tank crew under the command of senior sergeant Yesenov entered the battle with unequal forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the battle near one of the strategic settlements, the armored car was hit, and Taimuraz himself was captured.
“According to his comrades-in-arms, during the battle, he was able to cause significant damage to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, destroying dozens of neo-Nazis. Having been taken prisoner, senior sergeant Taimuraz Yesenov refused to tell the nationalists the location of his comrades-in-arms ... He was beaten and tortured for a long time, trying to find out the location of the Russian troops. Senior Sergeant Yesenov was silent, periodically losing consciousness. Gathering the last of his strength, he shouted his words. “If I return home, I will take a machine gun and come to kill you, fascists,” this is the only thing that the Ukrainian nationalists who captured him heard from the Russian serviceman Taimuraz Yesenov,”Arsen continued.
According to Siukaev, one of the captives, after he was released, said that the Armed Forces asked him several times about the position of Taimuraz and flatly refused to believe that he was just a senior sergeant. “They were convinced that Yesenov was an officer or a company commander,” he said.
A few months later, according to Arsen, the captives were released, but Yesenov was not among them.
Siukaev says that Taimuraz is the standard of courage and bravery.
“It was not scary to go anywhere with him. Taimuraz is very brave and reliable, a good friend. With his strong-willed character, he always went ahead, was always at the forefront. Taimuraz is a very kind and cheerful person, in any situation he always acted according to his conscience, made fair decisions,” Siukaev has noted.
Taimuraz is from the city of Beslan, North Ossetia. He was serving here in Tskhinval for six years. According to Arsen, he had the opportunity to choose between the military bases in the cities of Grozny and Tskhinval, and he chose Tskhinval, saying that he wanted to be closer to the Ossetians.
He is survived by his wife and three children, the youngest being three years old. According to Siukaev, at every opportunity, the youngest threatens everyone that her dad will come and punish her offenders.
Taimuraz is the hero of Russia; much more will be said about his heroic deeds. The path of the warrior will be the best school of education for future generations.
