Vladimir Khodov
Encyclopedia
Born in 1976, Vladimir Anatolievich Khodov ( 1976 – 2004) was one of the six leaders in the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis
.
town of Berdyansk. His father is unknown
When he was three years old, Vladimir's mother married a North Ossetian military engineer, Anatoly Khodov, and moved to Elkhotovo, 40 km from Beslan
, where she worked in the maternity ward of a hospital. Anatoly adopted Vladimir and one year later, in 1980, a second son, Borik (or Boris in Russian), was born.
After separating from her husband, Alexandra moved with her sons to Beslan. According to some sources both sons attended the Beslan School Number One that was later the subject of the attack (Vladimir was known as Samoshkin there). Other sources do not confirm this information . After both sons had finished primary school, Alexandra, Vladimir and Borik returned to Elkhotovo, and she resumed her career in the hospital.
In 1996 Borik was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in Maykop
for murder, following a stabbing incident in the village. While in prison, he converted to Islam
. On one of his visits to his brother in Maykop, Vladimir was accused of a rape
, and left Russia to live with his grandfather in Berdyansk Two years later, Vladimir, who was now exclusively known as Khodov, started to frequently return to Elkhotovo to live with his mother and adoptive father Anatoly, and to visit the local mosque.
The fact that both Boris and Vladimir converted to Islam may have resulted in their ostracism by the predominantly Orthodox
community.
and even joined the Chechen insurgence (serving mostly as a cook). He served under Ruslan Gelayev and later Iles Gorchikhanov . Vladimir again moved out at the end of 2002, asking his parents to care for his cat Dima while he was away.
In 2003, Borik was released from prison a year before his sentence was completed. Borik returned to Elkhotovo, and on July 1 he abducted Sveta Gabisova, a girl he had known earlier, claiming he was in love and wanted to marry her, despite her protests. Relatives rescued Sveta, and her brother Iriston visited Borik to complain about his behaviour - during the resulting fight, Borik was shot and killed. Vladimir returned for the funeral on July 22nd, but interrupted the funeral to take the body away for a Muslim
burial
. Vladimir's disturbance caught the attention of the authorities, and after hiding in a local cleric's basement, he was arrested. Despite being a wanted criminal, Vladimir was released by the police shortly after. Shamil Basayev has claimed that this was when Vladimir was given the choice of prison or helping to infiltrate the Chechen warlord's movement.
At some point in 2003, sources differ whether Anatoly died, or left Aleksandra.
According to police records, Vladimir had already joined the "Taliban" training camp in Galashki
(Ingushetia
), and returned to it after his release. On February 3rd, 2004 an exploding 122mm artillery shell
in Vladikavkaz
killed an army cadet and a nearby female. By February 21st Vladimir had been declared the prime suspect, after being caught on videotape.
In Elkhotovo, an arsenal of weapons was found at the home of another convert and Vladimir's picture and code name (Abdullah) appeared on the FSB
"Wanted" Internet Pages. A failed (and victimless) bomb attack on the Moscow to Vladikavkaz train near the Elkhotovo railway station in May 2004 was also blamed on Vladimir Khodov.
and hijab
, an offer which she refused.
During the siege, authorities got Aleksandra to phone her son, hoping she could convince him to let the children go free.
in prison. The self-avowed organizer of the Beslan attack, Shamil Basayev
in August 2005 alleged that Vladimir was an FSB
infiltrator
who had turned a double agent
and so facilitated the intrusion into North Ossetia and Beslan.
After the attacks, his mother Aleksandra was taken into custody by the FSB though released from wrongdoing. She was evicted from Beslan
in absentia
and went to live in Vladikavkaz.
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
.
Early life
Vladimir was born by medical nurse Alexandra Samoshkina the UkrainianUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
town of Berdyansk. His father is unknown
When he was three years old, Vladimir's mother married a North Ossetian military engineer, Anatoly Khodov, and moved to Elkhotovo, 40 km from Beslan
Beslan
Beslan is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. In terms of population, Beslan is the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz and Mozdok...
, where she worked in the maternity ward of a hospital. Anatoly adopted Vladimir and one year later, in 1980, a second son, Borik (or Boris in Russian), was born.
After separating from her husband, Alexandra moved with her sons to Beslan. According to some sources both sons attended the Beslan School Number One that was later the subject of the attack (Vladimir was known as Samoshkin there). Other sources do not confirm this information . After both sons had finished primary school, Alexandra, Vladimir and Borik returned to Elkhotovo, and she resumed her career in the hospital.
In 1996 Borik was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in Maykop
Maykop
Maykop is the capital city of the Republic of Adygea, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River . Population: -History:...
for murder, following a stabbing incident in the village. While in prison, he converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. On one of his visits to his brother in Maykop, Vladimir was accused of a rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and left Russia to live with his grandfather in Berdyansk Two years later, Vladimir, who was now exclusively known as Khodov, started to frequently return to Elkhotovo to live with his mother and adoptive father Anatoly, and to visit the local mosque.
The fact that both Boris and Vladimir converted to Islam may have resulted in their ostracism by the predominantly Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
community.
Later life
According to police records made public after the Beslan incident, after his return from Ukraine, Vladimir got involved in Islam in Adygea, went to a madrassa in CherkessiaKarachay-Cherkessia
The Karachay-Cherkess Republic , or Karachay-Cherkessia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: -Geography:*Area: *Borders:**internal: Krasnodar Krai , Kabardino-Balkar Republic , Stavropol Krai ....
and even joined the Chechen insurgence (serving mostly as a cook). He served under Ruslan Gelayev and later Iles Gorchikhanov . Vladimir again moved out at the end of 2002, asking his parents to care for his cat Dima while he was away.
In 2003, Borik was released from prison a year before his sentence was completed. Borik returned to Elkhotovo, and on July 1 he abducted Sveta Gabisova, a girl he had known earlier, claiming he was in love and wanted to marry her, despite her protests. Relatives rescued Sveta, and her brother Iriston visited Borik to complain about his behaviour - during the resulting fight, Borik was shot and killed. Vladimir returned for the funeral on July 22nd, but interrupted the funeral to take the body away for a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
. Vladimir's disturbance caught the attention of the authorities, and after hiding in a local cleric's basement, he was arrested. Despite being a wanted criminal, Vladimir was released by the police shortly after. Shamil Basayev has claimed that this was when Vladimir was given the choice of prison or helping to infiltrate the Chechen warlord's movement.
At some point in 2003, sources differ whether Anatoly died, or left Aleksandra.
According to police records, Vladimir had already joined the "Taliban" training camp in Galashki
Galashki
Galashki is a village in Sunzhensky District of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sunzha River near the border with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania...
(Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
), and returned to it after his release. On February 3rd, 2004 an exploding 122mm artillery shell
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
in Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
killed an army cadet and a nearby female. By February 21st Vladimir had been declared the prime suspect, after being caught on videotape.
In Elkhotovo, an arsenal of weapons was found at the home of another convert and Vladimir's picture and code name (Abdullah) appeared on the FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
"Wanted" Internet Pages. A failed (and victimless) bomb attack on the Moscow to Vladikavkaz train near the Elkhotovo railway station in May 2004 was also blamed on Vladimir Khodov.
Siege
On the second day of the Beslan siege, Vladimir reportedly stopped one of the other hostage-takers from killing Larisa Kudzieva, and offered to free her two children if she would wear an explosive beltExplosive belt
An explosive belt is an improvised explosive device, a belt or a vest packed with explosives and armed with a detonator, worn by suicide bombers...
and hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
, an offer which she refused.
During the siege, authorities got Aleksandra to phone her son, hoping she could convince him to let the children go free.
After the attack
After the siege, there were rumours that he had survived and had been captured, died in custody, or had committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in prison. The self-avowed organizer of the Beslan attack, Shamil Basayev
Shamil Basayev
Shamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
in August 2005 alleged that Vladimir was an FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
infiltrator
Infiltrator
Infiltrator is a 1986 video game published by U.S. Gold/Mindscape. It was developed for the Atari 8-bit family, Apple II, DOS, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System and ZX Spectrum by Chris Gray Enterprises....
who had turned a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
and so facilitated the intrusion into North Ossetia and Beslan.
After the attacks, his mother Aleksandra was taken into custody by the FSB though released from wrongdoing. She was evicted from Beslan
Beslan
Beslan is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. In terms of population, Beslan is the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz and Mozdok...
in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
and went to live in Vladikavkaz.
External links
- Beslan terrorist mother evicted from her home - family history in Berdyansk
- "In fact, his last name is not Khodov, but Samoshkin." Mention of the rape charge
- Outraged at the Orthodox Christian funeral, Vladimir carried away the corpse. Mention of Vladikavkaz
- Basayev's words cause controversyWeapons found at Elkhotovo, from Moskovsky KomsomoletsWild rumours after the siege