22.04.2009 00:18 | They died in result of artillery bombardment

The scale of August tragedy horrifies: more than thousand civilians became the victims of the monstrous military action which had been organized by Georgian army against South Ossetian people.

Those bloody August days became fatal for Avetik Tedeev and Garik Gubieva, the neighbours lived at Alan Dzhioev Street, 187.

Both of them lived peaceful life with their families. As the neighbours say, Avetik Tedeev was about sixty years old. For a long time he worked at “Emalprovod” factory in Tskhinval. In his youth he also worked for “Dzau” newspaper as a reporter. He wrote articles for the regional newspaper “Soveton Iriston”.  He was many-sided personality and showed his talent in other creative profession – the choreography. For some years he danced in the state ensemble “Simd”. Avetik Tedeev was held in high respect. As a honest worker of “Emalprovod” factory he was twice elected to the City Council.

His younger neighbour 31-year-old Garik Gubiev for many years carried out his service in a home guard. He got married not long ago and was happy with his wife Madina Tshovrebova. They were bringing up the 2-year-old son and 6-month-old doughter.

During the sudden Georgian aggression and the massive bombardment of Tskhinval with heavy weaponry Avetik together with his wife, as all his neighbours, was taking cover in a basement of the house. Garik was on a post in Dzau. In the evening of August, 8 he arrived to beleaguered Tskhinval to see his mother. On the eve of a military operation he sent his wife and children to North Ossetia. The tragedy had happened in the morning of August, 9. Garik and Avetik died from the shell burst in a court yard of their building. As the neigbour Rita Tadtaeva, the eyewitness of their death says, at that time Avetik and Garik had been in the entrance. “When the bombardment of the city with heavy weaponry from the direction of Georgia, supported by aircraft began, all the neighbours went down to the basements, - Rita recollects. –I was in a damp basement together with my daughter and her nine-month-old baby, we were hungry and without water.

My daughter’s three-room flat with complete overhaul were destroyed in result of the shell hit. 

In the morning of August, 9 during a lull several our neighbours went out from a shelter and having closed the iron door behind them stood at the entrance. I went out too. There were seven of us in the entrance. Avetik and Garik sat on the steps, Garik`s elder brother Mairbeg was there too. I was already going down to a cellar when the shell burst with thunderous roar in our court yard next to the summerhouse. Everything was enveloped in smoke and dust. Explosion was so big that broke through a wall of a summerhouse. Hundreds of splinters riddled the iron door of the entrance. Avetik and Garik having received multiple missile wounds died at once”.

Rita received missile wounds too and several men: Garik`s brother Mairbeg, Atsamaz Hubulov and Ludvig Tshovrebov were also wounded. Seriously wounded Atsamaz Hubulov and Ludvig Tshovrebov were firstly taken to the Republican Tskhinval hospital and then they drove them to Vladikavkaz.

Garik Gubiev was consigned to the earth in village Kornis. Avetik Tedeev was buried in North Ossetia.

Sergei Gazzaev

Translated by Tatiana Inozemtseva