The head of Ingushetia promised to perpetuate the name of Khizir Derbichev

In Ingushetia they plan to perpetuate the memory of 8-year-old Khizir Derbichev, who died saving a friend in the Sunzha River. This was announced by the head of the republic, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov.

“I made a decision to perpetuate the name of the boy Khizir. His words and actions became for all of us a symbol of courage, inner strength and human dignity. This story contains not only pain and testing, but also what unites people - a willingness to help, without dividing each other by origin or borders,” Kalimatov emphasized.

He noted that “specialists and volunteers from various regions worked next to us - from the neighboring republics of the North Caucasus to the Urals, Moscow, Krasnodar Territory and other parts of the country, as well as from abroad.”

However, he did not name specific steps to perpetuate the name of Khizir.

Kalimatov promised to help the boy’s family and thanked the volunteers for their help in finding him.

On June 15, Khizir Derbichev was swept away by the strong current of the Sunzha River when he was trying to pull his friend Adam, who slipped and fell, out of the water. Adam himself managed to hold on to the branch, but Khizir, who rushed to help, was unable to cope with the flow of water.

Thousands of volunteers from all over the North Caucasus and other regions took part in the search for the child. The boy’s body was found on the eighth day of the search operation, June 22, in the city of Sunzha, and a few hours later his funeral took place, attracting several thousand people. After the tragic events, a proposal appeared on social networks to establish “Caucasus Unity Day” on June 15.