By the age of 32, South Ossetian fighter Dmitry Bekoity has fought in three wars. At a young age, he defended his native republic from the Georgians who invaded sleeping Tskhinval. In 2014, the fighter stood up to defend the people of Donbass, and now he is fighting neo-fascists in the SVO zone.
The young fighter took up arms at the age of 17, while still a schoolboy. In order to be accepted into the fifth battalion, he lied about his age, saying that he was already 19 years old. Taking his word for it, they took him into service. Thus, Dmitry stood up to defend the Motherland at a very young age for military affairs.
Dmitry shares his memories of the war in August 2008, which remains in his memory in vivid fragments. According to him, everything happened so quickly that even after the end of the hostilities, he did not have a full picture and understanding of what had happened for a long time.
“The memories of this war are floating through my head in fragments. We were on duty in the village of Pris, where there had been a shootout since August 1. The Georgian sniper killed one of our comrades and wounded another one. When the city began to be bombed, I was at home, I decided to rest a little after a hard night's watch, but I couldn't. In the confusion, I ran out to a friend who lived next door, his father was outside, and who immediately led me to a safe place. Of course, my friend and I did not sit in the basement, we took our weapons and went into the city to scout out the situation,” Bekyoity says.
According to him, everything happened as if in a fog, complete confusion and chaos did not allow the brain to fully comprehend what was happening.
"To be honest, I didn't even understand how the war began and ended in August 2008. There was complete confusion; military actions against our small nation began suddenly, taking everyone by surprise. It was impossible to achieve clarity of mind, the brain refused to believe in what was happening. We were acting automatically - fighting and helping the residents - delivered food to them," the fighter has noted.
In 2008, the first person to die from the enemy bullet was Dmitry's close friend - Alan Khodov. He was only a year older than him, at the time of his death he was 18 years old.
Stood up to protect the residents of Donbass
Having learned about the war in Donbass in 2014, Bekoity, without hesitation, went there. He stayed there for about three years. He was fighting mainly in Luhansk, spending more time in the regions.
In Luhansk, he was wounded two times in 24 hours: a concussion and a bullet in the arm. If the second wound immediately made itself felt, then he did not even suspect the first one, and continued to fight, feeling unwell.
“We were asked to help taking a strategically important territory where the enemy had settled. We surrounded the enemy, completely cutting them off from the outside world, kept them in this state for quite a long time, expecting them to surrender themselves. They had our prisoner; they offered to exchange him for two bottles of water and a pack of cigarettes, which misled us. We thought that their supplies were exhausted, that they were already in a desperate situation, and went to storm them in the morning at five o’clock. A battle ensued, but as it turned out, the enemy outnumbered us and outgunned us,” Dmitry said.
He gas noted that many fighters were wounded during the battle, but, nevertheless, the task was completed. As a result of the blockade, by the end of October the agreement was reached on the withdrawal of the Ukrainian troops with weapons from the 32nd checkpoint. This assault became widely known, there is a detailed description of those events on the Internet under the title - "Assault on the 32nd checkpoint".
"Before the assault, on the same day, we were blown up by the mine. I was concussed, and one of my fellow soldiers was wounded. But we couldn't stop; we stormed the enemy, during the battle I was already wounded in the arm. I had four operations on my arm; the last one was performed by Dr. Kazbek Kodzaev. He restored me, thank him very much. He categorically refused to take payment from me for the operation," the fighter has emphasized.
In the SVO zone, there is a completely different war; the battles are being fought using modern technologies
In 2017, Bekoity returned to his homeland, began serving in the ranks of the Defense Ministry, but when the special military operation began, he resigned from the defense department and went to the SVO as a volunteer.
As noted by him, he was inspired to go to the SVO zone by the news of the death of his friends.
"After the start of the special operation, in March, I heard the news about the death of my friends, but the information was still inaccurate. I went there hoping to find out something about them and stayed there to fight. My friends, unfortunately, were dead," the fighter has shared.
Dmitry has been in the SVO zone since 2022, fighting in Mariupol and the Zaporozhe direction. In 2023, he signed a contract with the battalion of the sabotage and reconnaissance detachment "Alania", served there for two contracts. Now the contract has ended, and he is resting, but is thinking about returning to the battlefield.
Bekoity has noted that modern warfare is conducted using artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles; you can no longer rely on your own strength, as you used to do when you went to the enemy with a machine gun.
“In 2008 and 2014, it was much easier to fight because there were direct clashes, and you relied on your own strength and military skills. Now this happens rarely, only during an assault. They fight only with modern technology. Fortunately, we have something to fight with, our unit is provided with modern equipment, including thanks to the leadership of North Ossetia, for which we are very grateful,” the fighter said.
He has noted that every day of being in the SVO is a risk, but if you initially know modern warfare tactics well, it is easier to protect yourself and your comrades.
According to him, fighting is hard – not everyone can withstand constant bombing. It is difficult to endure it mentally and physically, but over time, a person even gets used to war.
The military syndrome also manifests itself in peaceful life, when you are constantly in standby mode looking at the sky so as not to miss the danger coming at you," the fighter said.
He praised the Ossetian guys for their courage and bravery, emphasizing that they are fight in the SVO bravely, always fulfilling the tasks assigned to them.
"We can say that 80% of all reconnaissance activities that take place in the Zaporozhe region are carried out by the Ossetians," Dmitry has noted.
Bekoity has emphasized that Russia will definitely be the winner in this battle, stressing that the Ossetians will make a huge contribution to the victory.
