The discussion about the South Ossetian soldier killed in the SVO zone touched on political aspects.

The death of a South Ossetian combatant who was deployed to the North Ossetian Military District with the Russian army has sparked a debate about the need to fight outside of one's homeland. Some comments contained diametrically opposed opinions on the status of South Ossetia, while others called for a refrain from hate speech and offered condolences to the family. The total number of South Ossetian fighters killed since the beginning of the North Ossetian Military District has reached 93.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," the funeral of Roman Gigolaev, who was killed in the war zone, was held in Tskhinvali. In total, more than 50 combatants from South Ossetia were killed in the fighting in Ukraine.

Commentators debated the status of South Ossetia

A post on the "Caucasian Knot" Facebook page* garnered 398 comments. An extremely emotional discussion unfolded under the news of Roman Gigolaev's funeral. Many users with Georgian and Ukrainian surnames debated the status of South Ossetia, the participation of natives of the region in the SVO, and responsibility for the deaths, with some discussions accompanied by mutual insults and hate speech.

Some commentators reacted negatively to the very wording of South Ossetia and linked Gigolaev's death to the political conflict surrounding the region. Other users defended South Ossetia's right to independence and sharply responded to their opponents.

"There is no South Ossetia." "Samachablo is Georgian territory," wrote Dimitri Namichaishvili.

"South Ossetia was, is, and will be," declared Manana Kochieva.

"Ossetia exists and will flourish! Georgia no longer exists. Ossetia remains as it was," said Inga Tsakhilova.

"What did you gain by refusing to live alongside Georgians?" asked Pirvel Svireli.

Some participants debated how to describe the death of a serviceman and the conflict itself. The discussion quickly devolved into mutual accusations and harsh remarks. Some users with Ukrainian and Georgian surnames wrote that they do not consider the deceased a hero, as he participated in military operations outside his region. Other commentators, on the contrary, called him a defender and expressed condolences to the family.

"Eternal memory to the heroes of Ossetia," declared Karlo Gopia.

"Rest in peace, brother, and those who write nasty things—God be your judge," wrote Maguli Gigolaeva.

Many discussions concerned the participation of people from the Caucasus in military operations. Users debated the motives of volunteers and mercenaries, as well as who was responsible for the deaths.

"When an Ossetian dies on foreign soil, there is neither heroism nor honor in it," said Ako Ako.

"They are dying for a friendly country," wrote Teimuraz Demeyev.

The comments also included calls not to rejoice at the deaths of others.

"I feel sorry for him as a human being," noted Oto Shvili.

"People have become embittered, cursing both the dead and the living," wrote Lamara Dzhinikayeva-Bolotayeva.

The future of Ossetia and its relations with Russia became a separate topic of discussion. Users debated the region's dependence on Moscow and the prospects for preserving its national identity.

"Do you seriously think Russia cares about you?" - wrote Ako Ako.

"Russia defended us from a huge army," says Teimuraz Demeyev.

Discussion participants called for humanity

Some users discussed the impact of the death of military personnel on families. Some commenters wrote about the tragedy for the children and relatives of the deceased.

"Now his children will see a medal, not their father," wrote Oleg Kochiev.

"He is survived by two children," recalled Antonina Eriksen.

Some comments contained outright hate speech and death wishes, which provoked reciprocal aggression from other participants in the discussion. In several cases, users exchanged insults in Russian and Georgian. Some users criticized the hate speech in the discussion and called for an end to the mutual insults. Such comments were significantly less common than emotional altercations.

"May everything you wish for others come back to you like a boomerang," wrote Inga Tsakhilova.

"Life is a boomerang, what are you happy about?" - stated Teimuraz Demeev.

"There is no need to rejoice in the death of a person," noted Zaur Gasviani.

"It is shameful to curse the dead and the living," wrote Lamara Dzhinikayeva-Bolotayeva.

"When there is nothing to say, they start insulting," noted Galina Popova.

"God will be your judge," stated Maguli Gigolaeva.

In a number of comments, users discussed not only Gigolayev himself, but also the scale of losses among people from the Caucasus.

"At least 53 fighters from South Caucasus have been officially recognized as killed "Ossetia," recalled one participant in the discussion.

"People are dying for other people's interests," wrote one commenter.

"Eternal memory to the fallen," declared Galina Popova.

A Facebook discussion* showed that the topic of South Ossetian participation in the SVO provokes extremely polarized reactions. A significant portion of the comments were devoted not so much to the deceased himself, but to debates about the region's status, relations with Russia, and the consequences of the long-running Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

The number of fighters from South Ossetia killed in the military operation has reached 93

On the fourth anniversary of the start of the special military operation, the newspaper "Republic of North Ossetia" published portraits of fighters from South Ossetia who died in the combat zone during this time. The names of 42 more South Ossetian fighters killed in the SVO zone have become known from the list. According to the publication, 33 people were killed in the military operation in Ukraine in the year from February 2025 to February 2026.

The publication also reported the deaths of Oleg Alborov, Timur Arsoyev, Alexander Babayev, Alan Bagayev, Soslan Bagayev, Khokh Bagaty, Fedor Bezhanov, Ruslan Besayev, Azamat Bestayev, Alan Bestayev, Atsamaz Bestayev, Zaur Bestayev, Igor Bikoyev, Alan Bitiev, Radion Valiev, Eduard Vaneyev, Alexander Gagloyev, Gamat Gagloyev, Tamazi Gagloyev, Alan Gigolayev, Eduard Gobozov, Marat Gubiev, Marat Dzhagayev, Atsamaz Dzhioyev, and a second fighter with the same name and surname, Soslan Dzhioyev, Kadzakh Dzudtsov, and Hamlet Dzukaev, Enver Dryaev, Alim Lokhov, Alan Parastaev, Alan Tedeev and another fighter with the same name and surname, Ivanhoe Tekhov, Alan Tigiev, Zelim Kharebov, Alan Khachirov, Igor Khugaev, Radislav Khugaev, Batradz Tskhovrebov, Roland Tskhovrebov, Eduard Tskhovrebov.

The first native of South Ossetia whose death in combat in Ukraine was officially confirmed was 35-year-old Sergeant Andrei Bakaev from Tskhinvali. He served in a Russian army unit. The South Ossetian Ministry of Defense announced his death on March 16, 2022.

The "Caucasian Knot" also maintains a list of names of natives of the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts killed in the military operation. The list was compiled based on data officially announced by government officials and security agencies, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "North Ossetian Military Operations Statistics: Losses Are Growing for Southern Russia".

About 2,000 fighters from South Ossetia are participating in the North Ossetian Military Operations.

About 2,000 fighters from South Ossetia are participating in the Russian military operation, South Ossetian Foreign Minister Akhsar Dzhioyev stated on December 28, 2025.

He acknowledged that for South Ossetia this is "quite a large number, since Ossetians are a small people."

According to him, residents of South Ossetia are participating in the North Ossetian Military Operations "as a sign of respect and gratitude for the support" Russia."

A contract with the Ministry of Defense allowed a defendant in the Dzhabiev case to evade trial.

It should be noted that one of the participants in the Russian SVO was former police officer Atsamaz Naniev, who is accused in the case of the death of Inal Dzhabiev, who was detained in Tskhinvali. In September 2024, his failure to appear in court disrupted the examination of evidence in the case.

At the next hearing, the defendant's lawyer announced that Naniev had signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and left for the military operation zone. The lawyer provided a contract, an extract from the order, and a certificate of Naniev's location as proof that he is serving in the Russian Armed Forces.

In October 2025, the Tskhinvali City Court found guilty the remaining defendants in the case of Dzhabiev's death. However, Atsamaz Naniev remains officially wanted, as he managed to leave South Ossetia despite being under a travel ban. The case against Naniev has been separated into separate proceedings.

In Russia, those arrested, with the exception of those charged with treason, terrorism, extremism, and fake news about the army, also have the option of signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense and being deployed to a military operation zone. After this, their criminal prosecution is terminated. According to human rights activists, this has led to the creation of a "conveyor belt of impunity." "You can commit a crime, sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense, serve some time in the SVO zone, and then return—and do it all over again," human rights activist Maxim Vedaprava told the "Caucasian Knot."