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Russia Pays Last Respects to Hero Killed in Palmyra Battle

© Sputnik / Ministry of Defence / Go to the mediabankBody of serviceman Alexander Prokhorenko killed in Syria, to be flown to Orenburg
Body of serviceman Alexander Prokhorenko killed in Syria, to be flown to Orenburg - Sputnik International
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Starting Thursday, Russians will pay their final respects to Alexander Prokhorenko, a Russian Special Forces officer killed in the battle for Palmyra.

Alexander Prokhorenko - Sputnik International
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The 25-year-old serviceman was killed during the operation to liberate the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra from Daesh. He was providing intelligence and coordinating for the Russian Aerospace Forces to attack Daesh targets in the city.

Prokhorenko ordered his comrades to carry out an airstrike on his position after he was discovered and surrounded by Daesh terrorists. His body was recovered from Daesh by Kurdish militia and handed over to Russia for a proper burial.

This week, a two-day ceremony to commemorate the hero wil be held in Russia. On Thursday, his body was transported by plane from Moscow to the Orenburg Region where Alexander Prokhorenko was born. The funeral is scheduled to take place on the day after, which has now been declared a day of mourning in the region.

Body of Alexander Prokhorenko departs from Moscow for funeral in Orenburg Region

Prokhorenko will be buried at a cemetery in the small remote village of Gorodki where his mother still lives. He will be laid next to the graves of his grandfather and grandmother.

Alexander Prokhorenko - Sputnik International
Russia
Body of Officer Killed in Palmyra Handed Over to Russia
The state funeral will be attended by Prokhorenko’s fellow officers as well as friends and loved ones. The 25-year-old lieutenant is survived by his wife who is expecting a child.

In April, Alexander Prokhorenko was awarded Russia’s highest military decoration posthumously. His family also received World War II-era medals from France.

The Magues, a retired French couple who gave their WWII-era medals to the family of a Russian officer killed in Syria, said that they were "stunned and very moved" to receive an invitation from Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow on May 9. Speaking to Sputnik, the couple said that a very personal motive compelled them to make the generous gesture.

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