On September 1, the RTD documentary about the capture by terrorists of secondary school No. 1 of the city of Beslan is released. A journalist Vyacheslav Guz worked on the picture, covering the tragedy in 2004. The heroes of the tape were three former hostages and an officer of the special forces "Alpha", who participated in the assault on September 3.

Even now, after 15 years, it is impossible not to see the imprint that the tragedy left on the city and its people. The attack, which killed more than 330 people, most of whom are children, became a new reporting point in the life of Beslan.

“The city was very seriously injured. Not deadly, but this seal is very long. And when people talk about someone, they say: this is a hostage. Or: these are the parents of the hostage, this brother and sister died. That is, they have such a detail, ”says Guz.

Different fates - one tragedy

The film tells the stories of four participants in the events: three former hostages - Irina Gurieva, Dzerassa Kudzaeva and Fatima Dzgoeva - and an officer of the special forces "Alpha" Vitaly Demidkin.

In September 2004, there were only seven Irina Gurieva. She miraculously survived in Beslan hell, but lost her brother and sister. A few years later, she tried to find her savior, but the special forces officer who caught the girl who jumped out of the window died during the counter-terrorist operation in Dagestan.

Fatima Dzgoeva was ten. She went to school with her younger sister Zalina. The little sister died, and Fatima herself received a through wound in the head. The girl’s skull was actually collected in pieces. She survived five operations, twice fell into a coma.

Dzerassa Kudzaeva went to first grade in 2004 and was supposed to give the first bell. Her whole family was taken hostage. Dzerassa survived thanks to her grandmother, who covered her granddaughter with her own body. The terrorists released the mother and younger sister of the girl, and the father was saved only by a miracle.

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“My dad ... he was already taken to other men for execution. He jumped from the second floor of the school, and our military insured him, because the terrorists had already begun to fire at him from above when he was lying on the ground. And ours launched smoke bombs so that dad could not be seen, ”recalls Dzerassa.

Three Vitaly Demidkin was among the first to storm the building of the captured school on September 3. In the battle with the terrorists, he lost a colleague. But most of all, Demidkin grieves over the failure to save all the hostages.

The film tells about the fate of these people and what they feel now, 15 years after the tragedy.

“I remember everything very well. It is also very difficult to come there. Especially in the "City of Angels." When I arrive, I try to turn on the internal protection and work. It turned out to be more difficult for Demidkin - he cried twice. I couldn’t hold back my tears in the past, now it’s barely worked out. There is no other way, probably. You walk through the alley - these are children's portraits ... And you think: “No, that's it. I won’t come here anymore. There are no forces, ”Vyacheslav Guz, one of the authors of the tape, shared his impressions.

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They made a memorial from the gymnasium of school No. 1, where, like the City of Angels cemetery, a lot of people come.

“While we were shooting, we saw more than once: people come, look, write something in the book of reviews, put candles, bring toys. My acquaintance cameraman said that he went there on one of his business trips to Beslan. See, feel. There are places called “centers of power,” but this is the center of grief. There is energy there, and you need to feel it, ”said Guz.

Demidkin recalls that when Alpha began the assault, several explosions had already thundered in the gym. It was impossible to understand where the dead were and where the seriously wounded were. In order not to walk on people's bodies, Alpha fighters entered the building not through the hall, but through the corridor, which was shot through by bandits. At that moment, when the fighters were inside, they threw two grenades under their feet. Demidkin’s companions were injured, but there was not a scratch on him. The officer is convinced that he was "covered by St. George - the main saint of North Ossetia, the patron saint of soldiers and travelers."

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“After the shooting stopped, somewhere there was a woman of about 45-50 years old, tight, with a bunch ... Most likely, a teacher. And here was a girl. About ten years, probably. All in some kind of bloody spots. We raked them and took them with us to that class. The girl asked me to drink, but we didn’t even have enough reason to take some water and sandwiches. We took as much weapons as possible, ammunition, ”Demidkin recalls.

Now, 15 years after the tragedy in Beslan, there is no school number 1.

“There is hope that this year this number will be assigned to a new school. Its director Elena Kasumova was among the hostages in 2004. She was a head teacher. It can be seen on some videos. And the mother of Irina Gurieva, who lost two of her three children ... She was a teacher then. And now he teaches, but already in this new school, ”said Guz.

Premiere of the film “Beslan. Life for the Angels ”, see September 1 at 20:30 on RTD.