French Couple Who Sent Medals to Palmyra Hero's Wife Prepares to Meet Putin

A retired couple from the French city of Florensac have been invited to attend the Victory Day Parade in Moscow, and are already preparing to travel to the Russian capital, RT reported.

The pensioners warmed patriotic hearts last week when they sent two of their own WWII-era medals to the widow of late Russian special operations officer Alexander Prokhorenko, who made the ultimate sacrifice while liberating the ancient city of Palmyra from Daesh terrorists in March.

Earlier this day, it was reported that the Magues had already received the new passports they needed to visit Russia.

"The Russian President earlier invited the Magues to visit Moscow. They accepted the invitation, got the passports, and are now dealing with visa-related issues. They plan to fly to Moscow on May 3," RIA Novosti quoted a source in the French Embassy as saying.

Following the extraordinarily friendly gesture from the Magues, Russian Ambassador to France Alexander Orlov visited the couple and invited them to attend the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on May 9.

Orlov brought the Magues a personal invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that he would like to meet the French couple while they are in Moscow, according to RT.

Meanwhile, 80-year-old Daniel Couture from the French city of Agde has sent his father's Legion of Honor Order to the Russian Embassy so that it could be handed over to the family of Alexander Prokhorenko, RT reported on Saturday.

Prokhorenko, the 25-year-old Russian senior lieutenant, was killed during the military operation to liberate Palmyra from the terrorists who had defaced, dynamited and looted its ancient treasures. He was working on the ground, providing intelligence and working as an airstrike spotter to assist in Russian attacks on Daesh targets in the city.

During the operation, Prokhorenko's location was tracked and he was surrounded by terrorists. To avoid being captured, possibly tortured and interrogated, the young man called an airstrike on his own position.