Early Life
Vladimir was born by medical nurse Alexandra Samoshkina the Ukrainian 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.
Read more about this topic: Vladimir Khodov
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