Published: September 7, 2010
She says that she and her friends plan to move to St Petersburg in a year to study. When asked who she holds responsible for what happened she says quietly that she would prefer not to talk about it. However she explains that she has no problems with living in Beslan. “Of course I am reminded of what happened every day but going somewhere else would mean starting from zero and finding new friends.”106 Pervomaiskaya StreetA year ago, Valentina Khadartseva didn’t know whether her son Georgy, then 34, and her granddaughter Amina, then 8, would survive Both lay in hospital in critical condition.
Georgy had been shot in the head by a sniper when he tried to see what was going on at the school through his binoculars. The lenses caught the sun and shortly afterwards a bullet passed through his head narrowly missing his brain Amina was hurt when the school gym’s roof fell on her. She suffered serious shrapnel wounds and her skull was cracked. Yesterday Valentina, her grandmother, allowed herself a brief smile Both Georgy and Amina survived. In fact Georgy, wearing a white baseball cap to cover his scars, was excitedly sitting behind the wheel of the family car which he recently learnt to drive again. His left arm doesn’t work and he has a plastic plate in his skull but he seemed cheerful enough.Valentina’s husband Taimuraz said the family was lucky.
“God has spared us compared to others.” Valentina said Amina was still troubled though. “She runs around like a normal child but every now and then she’ll stop and say her head is spinning She also complains of bad headaches Why did it all happen? We still don’t know. Putin and the government are as much to blame as anyone else.”That Georgy is alive is a miracle. The doctors who treated him believed he would die and when asked whether he himself is surprised he gives a broad smile. “Yes I am.” He complains of black-outs and of terrible headaches but says he is determined to achieve full rehabilitation “I would like to do something. Maybe my arm will get better in two or three years.”100 Pervomaiskaya StreetA year ago Chermen, then 8, did not really understand that his mother, Jana, had died in the school siege. He told himself that she was too busy in town to come back home.
Twelve months ago he talked freely and even excitedly about how he had been held as a hostage and rescued. But now that he knows for sure that Jana is never coming back, he seems to be a different child.His mother’s death has left his father Atzamas on his own to bring up four sons. Yesterday Chermen sat in his family’s dark kitchen and nervously played with a piece of string, barely looking up and answering in monosyllables He talks about how he has visited Egypt and Bulgaria He says he liked Bulgaria more. He also concedes that he thinks about the siege a lot but then falls silent, unwilling to talk further.His brother, Tamik, 16, cannot face talking about what happened either. His face creases with distress and tears well in his eyes as he asks to be excused Klara, the boys’ aunt, says Chermen is in a bad way.