Denis Vasiliyevich Vetchinov (Russian: Денис Васильевич Ветчинов; (28 June 1976 in Stepnogorsk – 9 August 2008 in South Ossetia) was a Russian Ground Forces major killed in action during the 2008 South Ossetia war and posthumuously awarded with Russia's highest military award, Hero of the Russian Federation, for his role in the conflict.[1]
Born 23 June 1976 in Stepnogorsk (now Kazakhstan), he graduated from the Omsk Officers' Academy in 1999. He participated in the Second Chechen War.
On 9 August 2008, the second day of Russian involvement in the Battle of Tskhinvali, a column of Russian vehicles with a few journalists and 58th army commander Anatoly Khrulyov onboard was ambushed by Georgian special forces in the outskirts of Tskhinvali. Khrulyov was wounded in the ensuing firefight. Vetchinov, armed with a trophy Georgian machine gun, organised defence but was wounded in both legs. He continued firing at the enemy and killed a Georgian soldier. Vetchinov kept covering fire until he was hit in the head by Georgian fire. He died on the way to hospital. On 15 August Denis Vetchinov was posthumuously awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation golden star "for courage and heroism while fulfilling his duty in the North Caucasus region".[2] He is survived by his wife and little daughter.
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