Alexander Prokhorenko
| Alexander Prokhorenko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Прохоре́нко |
| Born |
17 June 1990 Towns of Orenburg, Tyulgansky District, Orenburg Reign, RSFSR, USSR |
| Died |
17 March 2016 (aged 25) Palmyra, Tadmor, Homs, Syria |
| Buried at | Russia |
| Allegiance |
 Russian Federation |
| Years of service | 2007–2016 |
| Rank | Senior Lieutenant[1] |
| Battles/wars | Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War |
| Awards |
 |
Alexander Prokhorenko (Russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Прохоре́нко; 21 June 1990 – 17 March 2016) was a special operations soldier of the Russian Armed Forces killed during the Palmyra offensive of the Syrian Civil War. He was identifying targets for Russian airstrikes and was surrounded by ISIS fighters near Palmyra when he ordered an airstrike on himself.[1]
On 11 April 2016, President Vladimir Putin declared Prokhorenko a Hero of the Russian Federation, the highest Russian honor. His funeral was held in his home village of Gorodki on 6 May 2016.[2]
Life
Prokhorenko was from the village of Gorodki in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. He attended the Army Air Defense Corps Military Academy straight after school, and "graduated the academy with honors".[3] He was married and expected his first child when he was killed in action.[4]
Death
According to Lieutenant General Sergey Kuralenko, head of the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, airstrikes were carried out according to the orders of Russian special forces in order to keep Palmyra's historical monuments and civilian areas from being inadvertently bombarded. Prokhorenko had been on a mission to direct some of these Russian airstrikes at ISIS targets, when he was discovered and surrounded by ISIS forces. He then ordered an airstrike on his own position.[3]
Repatriation of his body
Prokhorenko's body was recovered and repatriated in coordination with Kurdish forces. It arrived in Moscow on 29 April, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. His repatriation "was a matter of honour for the Russian Defence Ministry", according to a spokesperson.[1]
Commemoration
The authorities of Orenburg decided to name one of the city's streets after Prokhorenko in his honour.[5]
On May 5, 2016 a concert was performed by musicians from St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre orchestra in the Roman Theatre at Palmyra in Syria conducted by Valery Gergiev, dedicated to the memory of Aleksandr Prokhorenko.[6]
A teacher at Prokhorenko's former school is reported as saying that she and others wanted now to rename the Gorodetskoy Middle School after Prokhorenko.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 Dearen, Lizzie (30 April 2016). "Body of Russian special forces officer who 'ordered air strike on himself' to kill Isis militants returned home". The Independent.Archived 4 May 2016 at WebCite
- ↑ "Body of senior Russian officer killed in Syria delivered to Moscow". TASS. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016. Archived at WebCite
- 1 2 Staff writers. "Russian Hero Who Died Liberating Palmyra Is Dad-to-Be Alexander Prokhorenko". sputniknews.com. Retrieved 3 May 2016.Archived 4 May 2016 at WebCite
- 1 2 CNN, Don Melvin. "Body of 'Russian Rambo' flown home". CNN. Retrieved 3 May 2016.Archived 4 May 2016 at WebCite
- ↑ "В Оренбурге в память о геройски погибшем в Сирии офицере назовут улицу". RIA Novosti. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
- ↑ Luke Harding (2016-05-05). "Palmyra hosts Russian concert after recapture by Syrian forces". TheGuardian.com.