A South Ossetian soldier was killed in Ukraine.

The funeral of Batrbeg Ostayev, killed in combat, was held in South Ossetia. At least 39 fighters from South Ossetia have been killed there since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Andrei Margiev was buried in Tskhinvali on December 29. He became at least the 38th combatant from South Ossetia killed in Ukraine.

On January 7, the funeral of Batrbeg Ostayev, a resident of South Ossetia who was killed in the zone of a special military operation, was held in Tskhinvali, the press service of the President of South Ossetia reported today.

Batrbeg Ostayev was 46 years old. He is survived by three sons. Ostayev was awarded the "Defender of the Fatherland" medal. South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev, Russian Ambassador to South Ossetia Marat Kulakhmetov, and other officials attended the funeral, according to a publication on the official website.

Thus, at least 39 fighters from South Ossetia have been officially recognized as killed in the military operation.

The "Caucasian Knot" maintains a list of names of natives of the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts killed in the military operation. The list is based on data officially released by government officials and security agencies, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "North Ossetian Military District Statistics: Casualties Risen for Southern Russia".

According to the "Caucasian Knot," as of January 1, government officials and security agencies officially recognized at least 8,400 fighters from southern Russia as killed in the military operation: 4,151 from the North Caucasus Federal District and 4,249 from the Southern Federal District. Dagestan ranks first among the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District in the number of those killed, whose names have been officially released by the authorities. Back in February 2022, Dagestan's head, Sergei Melikov, was the first government official to announce that a Russian soldier had been killed in Ukraine, acknowledging the death of officer Nurmagomed Gadzimagomedov.

State awards and memorial plaques do not guarantee the families of the killed soldiers state support after the loss of their breadwinners, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "Three Comrades Served: How the Authorities Are Depriving the Families of Killed Volunteers of Benefits," which describes the stories of soldiers from other regions.