As a Red Army man of the 2nd Caucasian Rifle Regiment of the South Ossetian Brigade, he fought in fighting on the Eastern Front at Buguruslan and in the North Caucasus at Kislovodsk between August and November 1920.

In November 1928 he transferred to serve in the latter position with the 25th Mountain Horse Artillery Battalion of the 5th Kuban Cavalry Brigade of the Transbaikal Group of Forces.

He did not complete the course, as he was dropped from them in August to be appointed chief of artillery of the 20th Rifle Corps of the 2nd Red Banner Army, back in the Soviet Far East.

[1] After Operation Barbarossa began, Khetagurov and his unit fought in the border battles on the Northwestern Front from 23 June, defending in the area of Daugavpils and in the sector of Pskov.

In June the 82nd Guards and the army were withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command and relocated to the 1st Belorussian Front for Operation Bagration and the Lublin–Brest Offensive.

For his "skillful leadership" of the division and "courageous actions," Khetagurov received the title Hero of the Soviet Union and was awarded the Order of Lenin on 6 April.

Army commander Colonel General Vasily Chuikov recommended him for another award of the title Hero of the Soviet Union, but this was downgraded to the Order of Suvorov, 1st class.

[1] After the end of the war in Europe, Khetagurov was sent to the Far East in July to command the 59th Rifle Corps of the 1st Red Banner Army in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.

Khetagurov advanced further to command the Northern Group of Forces in April 1958 and the Baltic Military District in March 1963, being promoted to army general in 1968.