Russian Special Forces officer Prokhorenko was killed earlier this month during an anti-Daesh operation in the region of Palmyra, in the Homs province of Syria.
On March 24 a spokesman for the Russian military at the Hmeimim air base in Syria stated that Prokhorenko was killed as he was carrying out a reconnaissance mission to provide intelligence for the Russian Air Force to attack Daesh targets in the region.
The officer ordered his comrades to carry out an air strike on his position after he was discovered and surrounded by Daesh terrorists, a story which led to the international press naming him the "Russian Rambo" for his act of heroism.
Thanks to the heroic efforts of Prokhorenko and other Russian and Syrian servicemen, last week the Syrian army was able to completely retake control of the ancient city of Palmyra, which had been under Daesh control for almost a year.
"Nothing he did, regarding even something as complex as life or death, was spontaneous," Alexander Prokhorenko's class teacher Petr Rusinov told Lenta.ru.
"He had a wonderful, clear, clean mind. You can't talk about impulse, that would only offend Sasha (Alexander's) dignity."
"That act of heroism, to die like that, was his conscious choice in the situation in which he found himself."
"From the fifth grade he didn’t want to do anything else. Some people had a back-up plan, but he only wanted to be a soldier," Rusinov said.
Александр Прохоренко — обыкновенный Герой! pic.twitter.com/QTwOPK7BDb
— Алексей Сотник (@somsok5412) 30 марта 2016 г.
'Alexander Prokhorenko — an ordinary hero!'
"We would like to name our school after him," said Nadezhda Rusinova, a teacher at Gorodetskaya Middle School, which Alexander attended.
"It is a real act of bravery that we will tell our pupils about."
"The whole village is in mourning. Nobody knew exactly where Sasha was serving, there was a rumor he was in the special forces. He graduated our school with a silver medal for outstanding academic achievement, and the military academy with honors. His parents were so proud of him," said Natalya Meshkova, headteacher of the school.
Alexander Prokhorenko's family was informed about his death by the Ministry of Defense on March 19. His younger brother Ivan is also training to be a soldier, and other members of his family have also served in the armed forces.
Александр Прохоренко,25 лет. Окончил военную академию ПВО.
— Злата (@zlatanekrasov) 29 марта 2016 г.
Наш авианаводчик погибший в Пальмире,вызвав огонь на себя pic.twitter.com/OiUdE9NMPv
Alexander Prokhorenko is pictured with his grandfather, who also served in the armed forces.
Alexander, who was 25 years old, married his wife Ekaterina a year and a half ago, and before he left for Syria they found out that Ekaterina is expecting their first child.
"The parents will not be alone. Today all the people of Orenburg are with them. We are supporting them, the family will not want for anything!"
"Alexander gave his life, he called an airstrike on himself. Together we mourn the death of our fellow countryman, his name will forever be in our hearts."
"The memory of Alexander Prokhorenko, of a simple Orenburg guy who gave his life for life on Earth, will be remembered forever. We are going to name a street in Orenburg after this hero."
