On the night of August 8, 2008, the Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia. This bloody war will forever remain in the memory of the people. And, especially, in the memory of the servicemen who were fighting for their homeland. Every year, on the anniversary of the August events, they remember these tragic days.
"There were already shootings in early August, but we, people who had been fighting for so many years, seen so many deaths, and grown up on tragedy, could not even imagine that they would escalate into a full-scale war, that they would attack a sleeping city at night," Alan Gabarayev, the OMON officer of Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia, began his story.
Before the war, the Georgian armed units were constantly shelling the South Ossetian posts. According to Gabaraev, some of the OMON officers were stationed at the posts around the city, while the rest were in the barracks.
“Saakashvili was speaking, we were surprised by his words about non-aggression, and we didn’t believe him. Closer to night, heavy shelling began. They were shelling the sleeping city. We didn’t expect such a sharp offensive by the Georgian army. I clearly remember the first shots and our actions. Despite the slight shock, we quickly mobilized and went out to meet them,” Gabaraev said.
The following days of Gabaraev were spent under constant shelling and in street battles.
“Despite the unequal forces, the military on our side gave a good rebuff. We were fighting all those days. We went to help in different parts of the city. On the night of August 7-8, for example, we headed towards the village of Tbet. We were told that our guys were fighting there, but we were unable to get to them because the territory had already been completely captured by the enemy. On the way there, we were told that there were killed and wounded among our guys. We decided to return to the city, but they were shooting at us hard, and we went into the basement of a residential building on Cherepichnaya Street. There were many people there, including children. After taking a short rest, we decided to move on. I remember a woman came out to us and blessed us with holy water, wishing us God's grace. It was a very touching moment," Gabaraev has recalled.
The shooting did not stop all this time. According to him, they were shooting from Grad, various large-caliber weapons, and the plane was dropping bombs on the city.
"There was no talk of rest, and, to be honest, there was no opportunity or desire, We also practically did not eat, only occasionally were drinking water," he said.
Alan remembers the burned car with the Dzhussoev family on Heroes Street, trying to get out of the city, and said that there were dozens of such brutal murders by the Georgians.
“They spared no one, they were shooting at unarmed people. And people just wanted to save themselves and their families. Many civilians who tried to leave the Republic were unfortunately killed. Many frightened residents of the city came to our barracks in the hope of salvation. Women and children were very scared. We put them in the basement, and there was always some of us in the barracks. They were safe there,” the riot policeman said.
The Gabaraev family was also in the city all this time. Concern for their lives did not leave him for a minute during the entire war, but he could not visit them. As soon as he had the opportunity to visit them, he went to them. Seeing that everything was fine with them, he returned to work.
"After the Russian army entered the city, the Georgians fled, but some of them hid on the outskirts of the Republic, and we had to carry out clean-up operation. Many of us did not even пуе to the funerals of our comrades. We simply visited their graves later and said goodbye to them. They were people dear to me. I began my career in the OMON with many of them. We were like brothers," he said.
Alan and his comrades were standing guard over the Motherland for many years. He has been in the OMON since he was 17. Alan could not even attend his graduation, since he was on training at the time. He felt the full bitterness of the loss inflicted on him ин the enemy. His friends and brother, who left behind three orphans, died from the Georgian bullet.
"The Georgians killed many people dear to me. They killed my brother, my friends," the fighter said bitterly.
In all his years of service in the OMON, he has seen only hatred from the Georgians and therefore does not believe that the August events in South Ossetia will never happen again.
