A former Wagner PMC mercenary from North Ossetia topped the United Russia party list for the Vladikavkaz City Duma.
Commander of the "Storm.Ossetia" battalion Igor Tsgoev (call sign "King") became the leader of the list of candidates running for the city Duma. In May, he took first place in the republican primary for the "party of power."
Igor Tsgoev fought in the war in Ukraine and military conflicts in African countries as part of the Wagner PMC. His total service length is approximately 10 years. In late 2022, he was awarded the republic's highest award, the Order of Glory to Ossetia, which is awarded for "exceptional personal merit."
Chief of Staff of the Alania Volunteer Battalion Ruslan Ostaev, whose son, as an 11th-grader, went to war with his father and was awarded the medal “For the Glory of Ossetia,” took fourth place on the list of candidates.
In total, NeMoskva reported, more than 100 SVO members signed up for the United Russia primaries for regional parliaments—3,2% of the total number of candidates.
Moreover, the day before, it became known that another, fourth, volunteer formation had been created from North Ossetia – a regiment named after twice Hero of the USSR Issa Pliev, based on the "Storm.Osetia" detachment.
The need to create a new regiment, head of the region Sergey Menyailo He explained that hundreds of Ossetians from other regions want to transfer to the republican named detachments, but the staffing levels no longer allow this:
"The first stages of combat coordination will be conducted in Ossetia, at the training ground in the village of Tarskoye... I will personally lead the troops into the combat zone. Of course, the Ministry of Defense will fully provide the soldiers with everything they need, but the republic will cover additional support, as well as the costs of training the regiment."
"Govorit NeMoskva" reported that regional payments to mobilized and contract soldiers from North Ossetia amount to 300 thousand.
In the photo of the press service of the AGIP RSO-Alania: I. Tsgoev and S. Menyailo
