Alexander Prokhorenko
Alexander Alexandrovich Prokhorenko (Russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Прохоре́нко; 22 June 1990 – 17 March 2016) was a Senior lieutenant with the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Armed Forces. He was killed during the Palmyra offensive of the Syrian Civil War. On 11 April 2016, President Vladimir Putin declared Prokhorenko a Hero of the Russian Federation, the highest Russian honor. His funeral with full military honors was held in his home village of Gorodki on 6 May 2016.[2]
Alexander Prokhorenko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Прохоре́нко |
| Born | 22 June 1990 Gorodki, Tyulgansky District, Orenburg Oblast, RSFSR, USSR |
| Died | 17 March 2016 (aged 25) Palmyra, Homs, Syria |
| Allegiance |  Russian Federation |
| Years of service | 2007–2016 |
| Rank |  Senior lieutenant[1] |
| Unit |  Special Operations Forces |
| Battles/wars | Syrian Civil War (Russian intervention) |
| Awards | Hero of the Russian Federation |
| Spouse(s) | Ekaterina Prokhorenko (2014-2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Prokhorenko was from the village of Gorodki in Orenburg Oblast. Prokhorenko was married and expecting his first child when he was killed in action.[3]
Military career
In 2007, he graduated from the Gorodets secondary school with a silver medal and entered the Orenburg Higher Anti-Aircraft Missile School. In 2008, due to the closure of the school, he was transferred to the Military Academy of Military Air Defense of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, from which he graduated with honors.
After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to the position of an advanced aviation gunner in the group of the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Federation.[4] Since January 2016, he took part in the Russian military operation in Syria as a forward observer tasked to carry out the acquisition of airstrikes at Islamic State militant positions.
Death
Prokhorenko was deployed in Syria when he was killed during the Palmyra offensive. It took weeks to retrieve and identify his body. He was nicknamed the Russian Rambo by Russian state media and buried with military pomp.[5] He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation for reportedly calling in an airstrike on his own position, after being surrounded by ISIS militants.[6]
Commemoration
Prokhorenko's body was recovered and repatriated in coordination with Kurdish YPG forces. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, his body arrived in Moscow on 29 April and a spokesperson stated his repatriation "was a matter of honor for the Russian Defence Ministry".[1]
The authorities of Orenburg decided to name one of the city's streets after Prokhorenko in his honor[7] and a teacher at Prokhorenko's former school is reported as saying that she and others now wanted to rename the Gorodetskoy Middle School after him.[3]
On 5 May 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. The concert was dedicated to the memory of Alexander Prokhorenko. The theatre is a UNESCO-listed site. In November 2015, ISIS had used the theatre site as a setting for the execution of Syrian soldiers.[8]
Two retired French citizens, Micheline Mague and Daniel Couture, paid tribute to Prokhorenko by donating World War II era military medals to his family. Micheline Mague and her husband Jean-Claude traveled to Russia and presented the medals to his parents, Alexander and Natalia Prokhorenko, and his brother, Ivan, in a meeting at the Russian Defense Ministry.[9] Mague gave a Legion of Honour (Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur) and a Cross of War (Croix de Guerre) with a bronze palm. The awards belonged to close family members who fought in World War II. Daniel Couture sent the Legion of Honour which belonged to his father, a member of the French Resistance. Couture stated in a letter that he felt that Prokhorenko died defending not only Russia and France, but all other countries who are menaced by terrorism. He also wished to honor the Russian people "who had brought their decisive contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany." The "Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur" (Legion of Honour) is the highest French order for military and civil merits.
On October 5, 2016, during a ceremony at the Russian Cultural Centre of Rome, the ANDPI (Italian Association of Parachutists), Section of Rome inaugurated the 161st Parachuting Course, dedicated to the memory of Alexander Prokhorenko.
On September 9, 2017, during a ceremony at the park of Honor and Dishonor on the shores of Lake Vagli Sotto, the Puglia Administration, in partnership with the Russian government, inaugurated a commemorative marble statue depicting Aleksander Prochorenko, located in the part of the park dedicated to Honor.
References
- 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 from the original on 4 May 2016.
- "Body of senior Russian officer killed in Syria delivered to Moscow". TASS. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- Melvin, Don. "Body of 'Russian Rambo' flown home". CNN. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- "Авианаводчик рассказал о секретной профессии погибшего в Сирии Александра Прохоренко". mk.ru. 12 June 2017.
- "'Russian Rambo', hero of Kremlin's Syria campaign, buried with pomp". Reuters.
- "Body of Russian officer who 'ordered air strike on himself' returned home". The Independent. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- "В Оренбурге в память о геройски погибшем в Сирии офицере назовут улицу". RIA Novosti. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- Luke Harding (5 May 2016). "Palmyra hosts Russian concert after recapture by Syrian forces". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016.
- "French couple deliver relics". Russia Beyond The Headlines. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.