Znaur Gassiev

Znaur Nikolayevich Gassiyev ( / Gaššite Nikhalaye fert Znawer, , ; 17 March 1925 – 6 March 2016) was a South Ossetian politician, who was one of the leaders of the South Ossetian independence movement in the early 1990s, which culminated in the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War.

Early life Gassiyev was born in Tskhinvali in 1925, but soon moved with his parents to Moscow. In 1935 the family went back to Tskhinvali, where Gassiyev finished secondary school in 1942. He enrolled in the physics and mathematics faculty of the South Ossetian State Pedagogical Institute, but was drafted into the Soviet Army to fight in World War II during the period 1942 to 1944. Upon completion of his studies in 1947, he started teaching mathematics and physics in various schools in Tskhinvali.

Early political career In 1951, Gassiyev moved to Tbilisi, where he worked as a teacher for four years, and at the same time studied at the Mining Department of the V. I. Lenin Georgian Polytechnical Institute, where he graduated with honours in 1955. He then started working at the Mining Department of Kvaisa, where he held several ranks.

Since 1992, Gassiyev remained active in politics, being re-elected as an MP in the 1994 election.

Gassiyev, then 84 years old, did not run in the 2009 election, and was replaced as speaker by Stanislav Kochiev.

On 27 October 2010, Gassiyev was appointed state advisor to President Eduard Kokoity. His death was announced on 6 March 2016.