Lado Davydov

Lado Shirinshayevich Davydov (18 August 1924 – 30 July 1987), also known simply as Lado Davydov was an Assyrian Soviet soldier during the Second World War. He is most well known for being decorated with Hero of the Soviet Union, and being one of only two Assyrians to have received the medal, alongside Armenian Assyrian Sergey Sarkhoshev.

Born in 1924, Davydov's family was originally from Iran and had settled in Russia after fleeing the Assyrian genocide. He joined the Red Army in 1941 and was awarded in 1944 after attaining a document outlining German defenses in Belarus.

Early life Davydov was born on August 18, 1924, to an ethnically Assyrian family in Vladikavkaz (in what is now North Ossetia–Alania). His family had fled the Assyrian genocide from Iran and moved further north into the Russian area, where his father, Shirinsha Davydov, would work as a shoemaker. Davydov himself worked as a shoemaker from an early age, having only completed four grades of secondary school and shortly afterwards leaving to work at a tannery.

Military service Davydov first joined the Red Army in 1941 as a volunteer, graduating from regimental school in Tsagveri. His military involvement came during a time when Assyrians were met with much repression under the Stalinist government. After losing consciousness, Davydov would spend the rest of that autumn being treated for his wounds.

After finishing treatment, Davydov would be reassigned to the 255th Naval Infantry Brigade of the 18th Army and stationed near Novorossiysk. Davydov had personally shot a soldier and was able to recover a briefcase outlining the German defense of the region. Based on this, he was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union later that year, one of only two Assyrians to have ever received the title.

Personal life

After the end of WWII, Davydov was discharged from military service and worked as a foreman in a shoe factory. In 1985, a thief attempted to steal his Hero's Star and he was seriously injured, but he survived and his real Hero's Star was still at his house. He remains a key figure in his native village, having a secondary school named after him in 2017 and receiving the title of "Honorary Citizen" in the Russian-Assyrian village of Urmia.

Awards Medal "For Courage", No. 4147 (11/16/1943) Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (7/22/1944) Order of Lenin (7/22/1944) Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class (3/11/1985) Honorary citizen of the Russian-Assyrian village of Urmia in Krasnodar Krai