• Interior
• Windows
• Walls
• Projects
• Buildings

Heroes of the Syrian war. “I invite fire upon myself”: why the feat of a Russian officer in Syria evoked such an admiring reaction from the West. Shirokopoyas, Shevchenko, Shelamov. Remember everyone by name

MURMANSK, September 30 - RIA Novosti. The war in Syria seems very far away - on TV screens and newspaper pages it looks not so bloody and almost not scary at all. But the shells of this war, although they explode far from Russian borders, echo in our homes with the echo of grief and loss.

And yet, the year that has passed since Russia decided to take part in the military operation in Syria has brought us not only losses. It became a lesson in courage for all Russians and inscribed in the history of our country the names of new heroes, of whom we will not only mourn, but of whom we can and will be proud. Loyalty to word and deed, honor and courage, understanding of duty and responsibility - these qualities were characteristic not only of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Today, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren give their lives performing military duty and fighting terrorism. Now they are becoming an example for new generations - an example of loyalty to the given word, the chosen path, the given oath and military duty.

Oleg Peshkov's last business trip

Native of the village of Koshikha Altai Territory Oleg Peshkov was at the controls of the same SU-24 aircraft that was shot down by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 over Syrian territory and crashed in Syria 4 kilometers from the border with Turkey. Pilot Peshkov was shot from the ground by militants during an ejection in territory controlled by Syrian Turkmens. Doctors managed to save his navigator Konstantin Murakhtin. Marine Alexander Pozynich took part in the operation to rescue the crew, but he also ended up on the list of dead. The pilot was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

The Peshkov family learned from the news that a Russian Su-24M bomber was shot down in Syria. Oleg Peshkov was remembered in different corners countries - relatives and colleagues, friends and those whom fate brought together at least once with the pilot. “He loved the sky very much, his profession, the Russian man... The concept of “officer’s honor” was not an empty phrase for him,” recalls Peshkov’s colleague Sergei Vetrov. There were never military personnel in Oleg Peshkov's family - his father worked on the May 1 collective farm as a mechanic, and his mother worked as an accountant in the district social services department. But, according to his younger brother, Pavel, Oleg dreamed of being a military pilot since childhood and devoted his whole life to this profession.

The pilot’s memory was immortalized in Yekaterinburg - he studied in this city. Now his bas-relief is installed here. Another bust is located in the military unit of the Belogorsky district of the Amur region, where the hero of Russia served for seven years. The author of the sketch admitted that the work was important - it was necessary to convey not only facial features, but also character. “From a young age, he was capable of action. In all the photographs he has a clear look, he is so firmly on his feet, confident,” notes the author of the sketch, Nikolai Nevedomsky.

The local history museum in Barnaul decided to dedicate part of the exhibition to the heroically deceased fellow countryman. For this, the Peshkov family gave the museum workers a flight tablet, photographs and other personal belongings of Oleg Anatolyevich. In the capital of the Altai Territory, a memorial plaque dedicated to the heroes of Russia, natives of Altai, who died in the line of military duty in local conflicts, was solemnly unveiled.

Pilots Oleg Peshkov (posthumously) and Konstantin Murakhtin were also solemnly awarded orders and medals of the Syrian Arab Republic.

A memorial plaque also appeared in the village of Kosikha near Barnaul, where Peshkov was born and raised. The school in the Lipetsk region, where the hero’s children study today, and where he himself spoke on courage lessons more than once, was named after the pilot. Students of the Altai boarding school with initial flight training will receive a scholarship named after Peshkov.

At the Suvorov Military School in Yekaterinburg, the name of Oleg Peshkov, a 1987 graduate, is planned to be permanently included in the list of personnel. This means that here he will have a separate bed, on it - a Suvorov cap and a sign describing the feat. And at every evening roll call the name of Oleg Peshkov will be heard.

The deceased was 45 years old.

Senior Lieutenant Prokhorenko: I call fire on myself

The message about the death of 25-year-old Russian special forces officer Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko came in March of this year. He died while directing airstrikes against terrorists near Palmyra. Prokhorenko drew fire on himself when he was discovered and surrounded by militants. For his courage and heroism, Prokhorenko was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Not only his fellow countrymen remember and are proud of the hero and his feat. The school where he studied in his native village is named after Alexander Prokhorenko. There is a bust of the fallen officer in front of the school building, and a memorial plaque on the wall. “Your school bears the name not of a book hero, but of a person who grew up with you, you knew him and can rightfully be proud of him. Be worthy of his memory,” actor Sergei Bezrukov told the students at the ceremony.

The school director, Sergei Danshov, admitted that the village residents are proud that the school is named after Prokhorenko. “We live without him, but with the memory of him... we talk about him... literally in every lesson, about what his feat means for us Orenburg residents, the residents of Russia in general,” Danshov told RIA Novosti.

One of the streets in Orenburg is also named in honor of Alexander Prokhorenko. A memorial plaque in honor of the hero was installed on the barracks building where he lived.

They decided to perpetuate the memory of the deceased officer in Chechnya - at the beginning of September, a street located in the Leninsky district of Grozny was renamed in his honor.

But the main memory of the deceased will remain in the family of Prokhorenko himself - 4 months after his death, the widow Alexandra gave birth to a daughter, Violetta.

Gratitude from France

The highest state award - the star of the Hero of Russia - became the main, but not the only one for the Prokhorenko family. The hero received an unexpected and symbolic gift from France. Several French families, as a sign of gratitude and support, decided to give the relatives of the deceased pilot awards that were kept in their families as heirlooms. Micheline and Jean-Claude Maget gave the officer's parents, Alexander and Natalya Prokhorenko, as well as his brother Ivan, the Order of the Legion of Honor and the Military Cross with a Palm Branch, which were kept in their family.

Jean-Claude Maget said that he learned about the feat of the Russian serviceman, who caused fire on himself, from the Internet; this was not reported in the French media. “This man died a hero, and we are very proud of him. We want to present you with our family awards. Of course, this, one might say, does not have much official significance, it is a personal gesture,” the Frenchman said during the awards ceremony.

In addition, the Mage family gave the parents of the deceased officer commemorative medals from the city of Flamersant, on which it is written: “To the parents of a soldier of the armed forces who died a hero,” as well as another Order of the Legion of Honor from another French citizen, Daniel Couture.

Another family, Flock, also donated relics kept in the family to the family of a Russian officer. “I give my father’s awards - this is the Order of the Legion of Honor, and other orders and medals - to the family of the hero Alexander Prokhorenko. When I learned about his feat, I immediately thought about my father - he also fought, was also very young, but he was lucky to stay alive. I’m doing this in order to honor the memory of a hero who accomplished not even a national, but a world-class feat in the fight against terrorism,” said Jean-Paul Flock.

He admitted that his decision to transfer the orders was also influenced by the thought that “the Russians paid a very high price in the fight against Nazism.” Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the French for the unexpected and touching gesture and called them “the most best ambassadors of the French people."

Erygin and Zhuravlev: died while performing combat missions

Anton Yerygin this spring, together with other colleagues, came under gunfire from militants while escorting vehicles from the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in the Syrian province of Homs. Anton was quickly taken to the hospital, where Russian military doctors fought for his life for two days, but were unable to save him. He was buried with military honors on May 12 at the cemetery in the village of Chertovitsy near Voronezh. For the courage and courage shown during the performance of a combat mission, Anton Erygin was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Residents of the village where Anton was born came up with a proposal to perpetuate the memory of their heroic countryman, and the authorities have already decided to name one of the streets in Chertovitsy in honor of Anton Yerygin.

In addition, the city commission for cultural heritage decided to install in the foyer of Lyceum No. 8 in Voronezh, where Erygin studied, memorial plaque. The hero's name will also appear on the list at the monument to the fallen Voronezh internationalist soldiers.

Russian officer Fedor Zhuravlev died on November 9, 2015 while performing a combat mission to coordinate airstrikes by long-range strategic aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces against terrorist formations in Syria. By presidential decree Russian Federation Vladimir Putin dated December 8, 2015, Captain Zhuravlev was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, posthumously. The officer, who died in the line of military duty at the age of 27, was buried in the Bryansk region on November 25 last year.

© Photo: provided by the press service of the government of the Bryansk region

© Photo: provided by the press service of the government of the Bryansk region

A memorial plaque in honor of the deceased hero has already been unveiled on the school building where he studied in the village of Paltso, Bryansk region, and the school itself now bears his name.

Dolgin and Khabibullin: the last attack of ace pilots

Another memorial plaque appeared on the wall of a school in the village of Sokolovy in memory of its student Evgeniy Dolgin. Pilots Evgeny Dolgin and Ryafagat Khabibullin died in Syria on July 8, repelling a terrorist attack near Palmyra.

As the Ministry of Defense later said, on that day a large detachment of Islamic State militants attacked the positions of Syrian troops east of Palmyra. Having broken through the defenses, the terrorists were able to capture the dominant heights. “At this time, Khabibullin and Dolgin were flying over a Syrian Mi-25 helicopter. The crew commander, Khabibullin, decided to attack the terrorists. The terrorists’ attack was thwarted by the competent actions of the Russian crew,” this is how the feat of the Russian pilots is described in a few words.

In the village of Vyazovy Gai, Ulyanovsk region, his native, ace pilot Ryafagat Khabibullin, is remembered as a kind and modest man who did not like to talk about his exploits and the military operations in which he participated. But today, not only his fellow countrymen and colleagues know about his feat and are proud of him.

Events in memory of the heroically deceased pilot, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the start of the Russian Aerospace Forces operation in Syria, will be held throughout the Ulyanovsk region. And on October 3, the opening of a memorial bas-relief in the village of Vyazovy Gai is planned.

A memorial sign with the name of Ryafagat Khabibullin was previously installed in the regional center - the village of Staraya Kulatka, next to the monument to soldiers who died in Chechnya and Afghanistan.

In the local historical and local history museum named after. HA. Ablyazov organized an exhibition dedicated to the ace pilot. Among its exhibits are Khabibullin’s personal belongings, which were donated by his widow for the exhibition.

Local authorities are preparing documents to rename a street in the village of Vyazovy Gai in honor of the deceased pilot. It is assumed that this will be the street in front of the house where Khabibullin lived. Now it is called Komsomolskaya. A local school will also be named after the pilot. As reported to RIA Novosti, the administration of the Starokulatsky district plans to resolve the issue of renaming the street and school in November of this year.

The government of the Ulyanovsk region reported that they want to award Ryafagat Khabibullin the title of honorary citizen of the region. And in memory of Khibibullin, a football tournament will be held in the village. The villagers hope that military pilots, friends and colleagues of Ryafagat will come here to honor the memory of the hero.

Ryafagat Khabibullin was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (with swords), two Orders of Courage, the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Courage (Ulyanovsk Region).

Evgeny Dolgin was a native of the Saratov region, and in lately lived in the Pskov region. The deceased pilot was buried in a cemetery in his home village of Sokolovy in the Saratov region. On September 3, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the walls of his home school in the village of Sokolovy. The idea of ​​installing a memorial plaque with the name of the deceased pilot on July 14 at a meeting with the acting. Minister of the Region - Chairman of the Committee on Public Relations and National Policy Artur Zabbarov was proposed by Dolgin’s fellow villagers, representatives public organizations, as well as the leadership of the Syzran Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which the serviceman graduated.

In addition, on August 12, a permanent exhibition dedicated to Dolgin and made up of his personal belongings and photographs, which were donated to the museum by the serviceman’s family, opened in the Saratov historical and ethnographic complex “Falcon Mountain” in Victory Park.

Shirokopoyas, Shevchenko, Shelamov. Remember everyone by name

Junior Sergeant Shirokopoyas was wounded in the first half of May in the province of Aleppo. Military doctors promptly provided medical care, he was taken to a military clinical hospital in Moscow by a special plane of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian military department said in a statement that the best doctors at the Main Military Clinical Hospital fought for Mikhail’s life. N.N. Burdenko, but the wound turned out to be incompatible with life. The soldier was posthumously presented with the Order of Courage.

35-year-old Mikhail was buried in Seryshevo, Amur Region, on June 11 with military honors. The junior sergeant is survived by his wife, 13-year-old daughter, parents and sister.

In the park near the regional museum of local lore on the Alley of Memory, where in different times photographs of Amur residents appeared - Heroes Soviet Union, those who died in Chechnya and Afghanistan, at the request of the command of the 35th Army, a memorial plaque with a portrait of Shirokopoyas was installed.

The death of private Nikita Shevchenko in the Syrian province of Aleppo became known on July 22. According to the official statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Shevchenko was driving a car escorting a convoy with food and water for local residents. At the entrance to the village, an improvised explosive device planted by militants went off next to the car. Doctors fought for the life of the seriously wounded Shevchenko, but they could not save him.

Nikita Shevchenko was buried in her homeland - in Birobidzhan. As the teacher said local school, many people came to Nikita’s funeral - not only relatives and those who knew him personally, but also residents of the city. Nikita Shevchenko was nominated for a state award posthumously.

According to the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense, on August 1, in the province of Idlib, a Russian military transport helicopter Mi-8 was shot down as a result of shelling from the ground. He was returning to Khmeimim airbase after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo. On board the helicopter were three crew members and two officers from the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria. According to preliminary data, all of them died. Among the dead was a 29-year-old graduate of the Syzran Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, Senior Lieutenant Oleg Shelamov, who was born in the city of Torzhok, Tver Region and graduated from secondary school No. 5 there.

But, probably, the most important memorable gift for Alexander’s orphaned family was made by entrepreneurs from Yalta. Having learned that Alexander wanted to someday move his family to Crimea, they helped the hero’s relatives fulfill his dream: they gave his widow and child an apartment in the village of Gurzuf.

“This is a modest contribution from Crimeans and Yalta residents in particular to reward the hero. The apartment is located in a new building under construction in Gurzuf,” explained the Yalta administration.

The development of the situation is in the special project of RIA Novosti " " >>

Roman Filipov

On February 3, 2018, in the skies over Idlib province in northwestern Syria, a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-25SM attack aircraft, carrying Major Roman Filipov, was shot down. After the plane was hit in the right wing, the pilot tried to maneuver and leave the affected area, but control of the plane was lost. Filipov ejected, having managed to report his decision to the command.

Later, contact with the pilot was lost. According to preliminary data from the Russian Federation, the plane was shot down by a shot from a man-portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS). Responsibility for the downed attack aircraft and the death of the pilot was taken by militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, created at the base (banned in Russia). According to other information, the plane was shot down by militants of the Jaysh al-Nasr group (banned in Russia).

The next day after the incident, a video appeared on the Internet, which allegedly captured last Stand Filipova. In the video, armed people first run towards some object on the ground, and then bounce away from it, after which an explosion is visible, and the words “This is for you guys!”, presumably belonging to Filipov himself, are clearly heard. In order not to surrender, he blew himself up with a hand grenade, shooting two attackers with his Stechkin service pistol.

As the Ministry of Defense said, the body of the deceased pilot was returned to Russia on February 3 by Russian military intelligence in cooperation with Turkish colleagues.

On February 8, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense said goodbye to Filipov at the Chkalovsky military airfield near Moscow, reports.

“Major Filipov fulfilled his military duty with honor, remained faithful to the oath, sacrificed himself in the fight against the enemy, and thereby placed himself in the first rank of the best defenders of the Fatherland,” said Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov.

Earlier, the head of the military department nominated the deceased to be awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously.

On February 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Filipov this title. “For heroism, courage and bravery shown in the performance of military duty, award the title of Hero of the Russian Federation to Major Roman Nikolaevich Filipov (posthumously),” the decree says.

Filipov was an experienced aviator and this was not the first time he had been on a business trip to Syria, the Ministry of Defense said. The major brilliantly completed dozens of combat missions against terrorists and repeatedly accompanied humanitarian convoys of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties (CPVS). During his last flight, Filipov flew over the Idlib de-escalation zone to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.

Wikimedia Commons

On November 24, 2015, a Turkish fighter shot down a Russian Su-24M bomber in the Syrian province of Latakia, a kilometer from the border with Turkey. A Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft performed a combat mission in Syria. According to the Turkish side, it flew into Turkish airspace, after which two Turkish F-16 fighters flew out to intercept it. According to Ankara, after a series of warnings, the Turkish pilot opened fire and shot down the Russian plane. According to Moscow, the Su-24 did not violate Turkish airspace and was shot down by the Turkish military in violation of all norms.

The Su-24 carried two pilots: the crew commander, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, and the navigator. They both managed to eject, but only Murakhtin managed to escape. Peshkov was shot from machine guns by local militants while he was still in the air. After landing, Murakhtin hid from the opponents who were looking for him for about a day, after which he was found by the Syrian military and taken to a Russian airbase.

While trying to save the Russian pilots who were in the downed Su-24, another Russian military man died - a marine who took part in the search and rescue operation.

On the day of the Su-24 crash, Russian Aerospace Forces helicopters flew out to search for the pilots, and one of them, the Mi-8, with Pozynich on board, was fired upon by militants from the ground.

On November 25, 2015, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia, and marine Alexander Pozynich, also posthumously, was awarded the Order of Courage. The same order was received by navigator Konstantin Murakhtin, who survived the Su-24 crash.

Marat Akhmetshin

Wikimedia Commons

In June 2016, an artillery captain was killed in Palmyra, Syria. Russian army Marat Akhmetshin. According to RBC, he was the head of intelligence at the headquarters of the howitzer self-propelled artillery division of the 9th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Western Military District.

As the Ministry of Defense said, on that day, a large detachment of militants from the Islamic State (IS, an organization banned in Russia) attacked the positions of the Syrian government army and, having broken through the defenses, rapidly moved inland. At that time, there were no reserve units of the Syrian troops to contain the advance of the Islamic State in that direction, and the militants could capture strategically important heights.

The Mi-35 crew, commanded by Khabibullin, received a request to fire at the advancing militants, and the colonel decided to attack the terrorists. As a result of the actions of the helicopter crew, the terrorist attack was thwarted.

However, when the crew used up their ammunition, the terrorists shot it down from the ground. The Mi-35 crashed in an area controlled by the Syrian army, both pilots were killed.

After the helicopter crash, Putin posthumously awarded Khabibullin the title of Hero of Russia, and Dolgin posthumously received the Order of Courage. As his colleagues said, Khabibullin was one of the most experienced Russian military pilots: he fought in Chechnya and Georgia in 2008, trained dozens of other combat pilots as an instructor, and had many awards.

Alexander Prokhorenko

Alexander Prokhorenko

25-year-old special forces officer Alexander Prokhorenko died in Syria in March 2016. While carrying out a combat mission to direct airstrikes against terrorists in the Palmyra area, he was surrounded and drew fire on himself. By Putin's decree, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia. The officer’s funeral took place in his home village of Gorodki, Tyulgansky district, Orenburg region, on May 6, 2016.

Having learned about Prokhorenko’s feat, the British tabloid The Daily Mirror called him “Russian Rambo.”

“A brave Russian special forces soldier, carrying out a solo Rambo-style mission to hunt ISIS militants, died heroically, causing an airstrike on himself,” the publication wrote.

He is survived by his mother, father, younger brother and pregnant wife. Relatives waited for more than two months for the body of their loved one to be delivered to their homeland.

At the request of the Russian side, Kurdish fighters were able to return his remains after difficult negotiations with the jihadists.

In big cities and small towns of Russia there are monuments to fallen internationalist soldiers. Having accepted a heroic death on foreign soil, they returned home and forever became a symbol of fidelity to military duty. The children and grandchildren of the first internationalist warriors grew up. Many put on military uniforms, proving that the continuity of generations is not an empty phrase. Some today in Syria are defending the world and the country from international terrorists who have sentenced all humanity to death. Thirteen soldiers and officers returned from a Syrian mission ahead of schedule, having fallen in a battle with ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation). But they did not fall unknown and abandoned - the Motherland remembers them and mourns.

Here is a sad list of fallen heroes killed in Syria:

19 year old contract soldierVadim Kostenko, died October 24, 2015;
- 27 year old gunnerFedor Zhuravlev, died November 19, 2015;
- 45-year-old bomber commanderOleg Peshkovand a 29-year-old MarineAlexander Pozynich , died November 24, 2015;
- 42 year old military instructorIvan Cheremisin, died February 1, 2016;
- 25 year old gunnerAlexander Prokhorenko, died March 17, 2016;
- 38-year-old helicopter commanderAndrey Okladnikovand helicopter navigatorVictor Pankovdied April 12, 2016;
- 31-year-old signalmanAnton Erygin, died May 7, 2016;
- 35-year-old artillerymanMikhail Shirokopoyas, died June 7, 2016;
- 28 year old MarineAndrey Timoshenkov, died June 16, 2016;

The freshest wound is military pilot instructors Ryafagat Khabibullin And Evgeniy Dolgin. They died on July 8. The crew commander, Colonel Khabibullin, turned 51, and his partner, Lieutenant Zhenya Dolgin, only managed to celebrate his 24th birthday.

Photo: Vladimir ANOSOV / RG

Both graduated from the Syzran helicopter program, in different years, of course. But both understood the combat mission correctly. They were flying over in an MI-25 helicopter when they asked for help from the ground. The terrorists went on the offensive and broke through the defenses of government troops. The crew did not waste time thinking. The Defense Department about this reported in dry language, essentially:

The son of the crew commander, Ruslan Khabibullin, followed in his father’s footsteps, also a military man. And he says just as briefly:

“My father died as a hero, having done everything he could. He taught us to go only forward and always remain human. I ask young people to once again look at their father’s example and try to be like him.”

Dozens of young pilots, who were trained as “pilots from God,” carry out this order with dignity.

“One day he took his little son into the cockpit of a helicopter. Since then, Evgeniy simply fell in love with a rotorcraft and firmly decided: I will fly!”

The guy didn't have time for one thing— to celebrate the first wedding anniversary with my Katyusha, they just got married in August.When the operation in Syria began, Katya asked him:“Zhen, aren’t you afraid?”, and he answered: “Why be afraid? This is my profession, this is what I studied.”

I wonder if it’s possible to learn a feat “professionally”? If there was such a special course, Sasha Prokhorenko would definitely get an “excellent” for it.

What was the senior lieutenant, surrounded by terrorists and causing fire on himself, thinking about, who was he remembering at the last minute of his life? Maybe the old Cossack motto that his father taught him: “Soul to God, heart to woman, duty to the Fatherland, honor to no one.”

Or his native village of Gorodki in the Orenburg region, which as a child he avoided far and wide with his bare feet. Or his wife Katya, with whom they were so similar that they were even considered brother and sister. Or maybe his younger brother Vanya, who, following Alexander’s example, entered the Smolensk Military Academy of Air Defense and is a second-year student. He must have managed to get his mother and father... But he probably didn’t count how many terrorist bastards he would take with him. Why spend the remaining time on them? All I knew was that there were a lot of them.

“For the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty, award the title of Hero of the Russian Federation to senior lieutenant Alexander Alexandrovich Prokhorenko (posthumously).” The Motherland appreciated the officer's latest feat Russian forces special operations.

Exactly a year has passed since the beginning of the participation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in military operations in Syria. On September 30, 2015, the first combat flight of Russian pilots was carried out in support of the legitimate President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Air strikes are carried out by a group located at the Khmeimim airfield, consisting of bombers and attack aircraft under the cover of fighters and helicopters. Strategic aircraft of the Russian Long-Range Aviation, based in Russia, as well as ships of the Caspian Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet, took part in the operations - they fired at targets with cruise missiles.

The results of the first year of the campaign in Syria clearly showed: Russia is ready to finish off terrorist groups. Russia's successes are impressive, and many military analysts are talking about a radical turning point in the Syrian conflict. However, war also means sacrifices. During the Syrian operations, many Russian military personnel died - but Russia always remembers its heroes.

Fedor Zhuravlev
Killed on November 19, 2015 while performing a combat mission in Syria.
The officer ensured the guidance of air-launched cruise missiles at terrorist positions; the details of his death are unknown.
A school near Bryansk was named after a Russian officer who died in Syria.

Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov
Died on November 24, 2015.
A Su-24M front-line bomber was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter in Syrian airspace. The pilots managed to eject, but fire was opened on them from the ground. The navigator of the downed bomber, Captain Konstantin Murakhtin, was rescued by special forces of the Russian Armed Forces and the Syrian army. Awarded the Order of Courage. By decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. The pilot’s name will be given new school Lipetsk No. 100. An aviation museum will be created in it. On June 12, a monument to Oleg Peshkov was unveiled in the Amur region.

Alexander Pozynich
On November 24, 2015, Russian Aerospace Forces helicopters flew out to search for the pilots of the downed Su-24M bomber; during the operation, one of them (Mi-8AMTSh) was damaged by shelling from the ground. A contract marine, sailor Alexander Pozynich, died on board.
Sailor Alexander Pozynich (posthumously) was awarded the Order of Courage.
School No. 11 in the city of Novocherkassk, where Pozynich studied, will be named after him.

Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Cheremisin
On February 1, 2016, as a result of mortar fire by ISIS terrorists, one of the Syrian army units was fatally wounded.
The officer carried out tasks to assist the Syrian army in mastering new weapons.
The serviceman was posthumously nominated for a state award.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko
He died on March 24, 2016 while carrying out a mission to direct strikes by Russian aircraft against ISIS terrorist targets in the area of ​​the village of Tadmor.
“The serviceman died heroically, causing fire on himself, after being discovered by terrorists and surrounded.”
On April 11, 2016, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
The Orenburg authorities decided to name one of the city streets after Prokhorenko.

Sergeant Anton Erygin
On May 5, he was seriously injured in the Syrian province of Homs while carrying out tasks to escort vehicles of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties and died in the hospital two days later.
Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Andrey Timoshenkov
On June 15, 2016, in the province of Homs, a car filled with explosives was prevented from breaking through to the place of distribution of humanitarian aid. In the explosion of a car driven by a suicide bomber, Timoshenkov received a wound incompatible with life and died on June 16.
Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Junior Sergeant Mikhail Shirokopoyas
He was injured as a result of a mine explosion in Aleppo province.
The serviceman underwent surgery in Moscow, but he died on June 7, 2016 at the Main Military Clinical Hospital named after. N.N. Burdenko.
Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Ryafagat Khabibulin

Evgeniy Dolgin

Ryafagat Khabibulin and Evgeniy Dolgin
On July 8, 2016, Russian instructor pilots flew over a Syrian Mi-25 helicopter with ammunition.
Having broken through the defenses east of Palmyra, a large detachment of ISIS militants attacked the positions of Syrian troops and rapidly advanced deeper into the area.
The Mi-25 crew decided to attack the terrorists. Having used up its ammunition, the helicopter, while turning back, was hit by fire from the ground and fell in an area controlled by the Syrian government army.
Both crew members were killed.
Military personnel are presented with high state awards posthumously.

Nikita Shevchenko
At the end of July, he accompanied a convoy with food and water for local residents. Died as a result of an improvised explosive device planted by militants at the entrance to a village in Aleppo province.
Posthumously nominated for a state award.

Russian soldiers are not pumped-up, weapon-laden movie characters, but ordinary people who live among us. Palmyra is taken. The battles for the ancient city continued for almost a week. The pessimists who argued that long months of siege would be needed were put to shame. The operation was carried out brilliantly. And almost like jewelry - so that those values ​​that survived the rule of the obscurantists from the Islamic State would not be damaged. Of course, it will take a lot of time to clear the city of mines, and even more to restore what was destroyed and looted by militants. But the main thing is behind us. Today, units of the SAA are being transferred to the west and north of the country. Again, contrary to those who said that after Palmyra, the Syrians need to run headlong to liberate Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa. The Syrian army does everything clearly and competently under the leadership of our advisers. He was in a hurry and made people laugh. Now we have to complete what we started in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama, Homs and, of course, Damascus. And the capture of Palmyra is still a black mark for the militants. It is characteristic that such a spectacular and effective operation was not expected not only by our home-grown critics, but also by Western ones. For them, who were just glad that the Russians had left Syria, it became a cold shower. They were not prepared for such a rapid development of events, being completely confident that Assad’s army would get bogged down near Palmyra. This explains the deathly silence of the West. Although, it would seem that international terrorism represented by the Islamic State has suffered the most serious defeat since the beginning of the war. It’s not for nothing that some of our politicians have already called the Palmyra operation Battle of Stalingrad or the Kursk Bulge for Syria - this is exaggerated, of course, but, as you know, there is some truth in every joke. We should rejoice at this, especially after the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris, against the backdrop of a worsening migration crisis. But - silence.

As if they were not happy that Palmyra was liberated. But aren’t they glad if less than a year ago, when the city was captured by militants, they shouted the loudest about the fact that unique values ​​were being destroyed, etc.? And now we’re not happy. Maybe it’s because the city was liberated without them. Not only without their help, but without asking permission at all? Why haven't the leaders of the US and UK said a word on the topic? Not exactly joy - not a word at all? Why did the UN Security Council block Russia's statement on Palmyra? Maybe they really value their own geopolitical interests more than their declared ones, i.e. fight against terrorism, as Maria Zakharova said? Only one former US ambassador to Russia publicly expressed his position, although only as a private citizen. Well, and also the mayor of London, who, however, did not forget to throw mud at President Assad, but as “compensation” for his words, he offered Damascus to send British archaeologists to the liberated city. Oh yes, State Department spokesman John Kirby also spoke out, who, however, also, albeit in a veiled manner, emphasized that Assad must leave and all that: “The USA, of course, welcomes the liberation of Palmyra from IS militants, but considers it premature to discuss how this fact can affect inter-Syrian negotiations in Geneva." However, the Western press turned out to be more verbose and spoke out unequivocally. The British The Independent noted the “deathly silence” of Western leaders and suggested that they would react the same way when the Syrian army recaptures Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa from terrorists. The American Los Angeles Times writes directly that the fight against ISIS could not be presented as a joint American-European project, which is why Western leaders are silent. Like, this is, of course, a victory, but not for those who need it, a victory... photo: Twitter At the same time, even the Washington Post emphasizes whose victory this is and congratulates the Syrian leader on it: “The Syrian army, apparently, has gained the upper hand in the destructive civil war, which has turned into a dangerous proxy conflict. This is a victory for Russia too. Russian military intervention has inflicted heavy damage on militant groups and strengthened Assad’s position.” "The battle once again showed how much Russian intervention has changed Assad's position. The strategically important military victory lends weight to the argument that Bashar al-Assad's government plays a key role in the fight against ISIS," The New York Times admits. Just like that. Their press writes everything as it is. And the politicians are silent, as if they had taken too much water in their mouths. But there’s nothing to say. They didn’t lift a finger to liberate Palmyra. This is not their victory. All they can do now is send archaeologists. No, I don’t argue: archaeologists are needed - in Palmyra they now have jobs for many years. But somehow it’s strange that Europe is being blown up, and they are archaeologists, while we are soldiers who sacrifice their lives, including so that the residents of Brussels and Paris can live as they are used to, without fear of the future be blown up in the subway or airport. The Western press did not ignore the feat of our special forces soldier Alexander Prokhorenko, who for several days, being behind enemy lines, was engaged in reconnaissance of strategic terrorist targets, transmitting their coordinates to the assaulting troops, and when surrounded, he called fire on himself, died himself and destroyed those who surrounded him militants. True, for some reason the Western press dubbed Alexander “Russian Rambo.”

"Russian 'Rambo' wipes out ISIS terrorists by drawing fire while surrounded by jihadists," reads a headline in Britain's Mirror. "A brave Russian special forces soldier, on a single mission, like Rambo, destroying ISIS militants, died heroically, causing an airstrike on himself. The fearless military man corrected the airstrikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces on ISIS positions near ancient city Palmyra in Syria when it was surrounded by terrorists. He was not ready to die without a fight and directed the direction of the airstrike to the place of his deployment, after which he died at the epicenter of the explosion. last days reprinted in almost all newspapers, does not in any way evoke associations with a movie hero from an American action movie. photo: social networks Maybe they simply don’t have real heroes who are capable of the same things as Alexander Prokhorenko? So they invent Rambo, Commando and other “universal soldiers” to show ordinary people that their peace is reliably protected - it is guarded by tough guys in war paint, pumped up, hung with grenades and machine gun belts, with a machine gun in each hand, and also a machine gun and a grenade launcher on his shoulders. In reality, it turns out that the heroes are people like Alexander Prokhorenko, who, whether in uniform or without it, does not stand out from the crowd, whom you meet on the street and would never think that a “Russian Rambo” is coming. Pay attention to how they describe the death of Alexander, with what pathos: “a fearless military man”, “a brave Russian special forces soldier”, “he was not ready to die without a fight”... And compare how our military department reports: “When performing a special task An officer of the Russian special operations forces was killed while directing strikes by Russian planes at the targets of ISIS terrorists. The officer carried out a combat mission in the Palmyra area for a week, identifying the most important targets of the ISIS fighters and giving out the exact coordinates for strikes by Russian planes. The serviceman died heroically, causing fire on himself. after being discovered by terrorists and surrounded." No pathos, no strain. Dry, clear. As it should be in the army. Probably for them there, in the West, it’s strange, how can they sacrifice themselves in battle? They probably had never heard of Alexander Matrosov, and they didn’t have their own Alexander Matrosovs or Alexander Prokhorenkos. Only Rambo. And even then in the cinema. But this is normal for any officer - to carry out an order and, without hesitation, to sacrifice himself for the sake of its fulfillment. photo: social networks Of course, we can say that Alexander understood: he still wouldn’t escape alive, and being captured by ISIS would not be the best best way end earthly existence. Well, some people have the conscience to tell a blasphemous joke about Matrosov about “damned ice.” These people do not know the words “oath” and “duty of an officer.” All they can say is “WOW!” as they watch others risk their lives. For them, by the way. They can't do it themselves. But it’s generally wrong to talk about such things in an emotional way. The man did his job, did what he had to do. That's it. And he certainly didn’t think about whether he would receive a medal posthumously, whether a street would be named after him, and even more so, what the Mirror would write about him: whether he would be compared to the action hero that Alexander Prokhorenko probably watched with admiration as a child. and all the boys of that time. Surely he also wanted to be like him then - sewing up his own hand without anesthesia and standing alone against an entire army. But in life it’s not like in the movies. Alexander Prokhorenko dreamed of becoming a military man, and his dream came true. It’s hard even for me to imagine what it’s like to go to carry out an order in a foreign country, where an incomprehensible crisis has been going on for six years now. civil war, in which the Syrians, like medieval savages, mercilessly destroy each other, having probably already forgotten why it all actually began. What does it feel like to understand that you could die in a foreign country, while your pregnant wife is waiting for you at home? That you won't be there. That let them name a street after you, let them even erect a monument, and the whole city will bring flowers to it. BUT YOU WILL NOT BE, and you won’t see it anymore. photo: social networks And this is even more difficult for Western journalists to imagine. As well as some of our compatriots who have made criticism of their country a profession and for whom any death of a Russian citizen, especially a military man in Syria, is undoubtedly a holiday, because you can once again throw mud at the authorities that send people to an incomprehensible and unnecessary war , while somewhere else there are villages to which gas has not been supplied, while corruption is flourishing in the country against the backdrop of an economic crisis, which, according to the opposition, is, in fact, caused by the actions of our country in the international arena, in particularly in Ukraine and Syria. In fact, this “washing of dirty linen” looks very disgusting in front of the world community, when our “oppositionists” and “human rights activists” (I don’t know whether on instructions from sponsors or from their own stupidity and bad manners) begin to scrupulously count the number of Russian military deaths in Ukraine or Syria, rejoicing at every new “two hundredth” - they say, look at what you are fighting for, where you send your sons, where your taxes go. Like, look, the authorities are lying to you that our military is not there, but they are. They even came up with a special word to refer to our soldiers in Syria - “ichtamnets”. And how they gloat about the killed special forces soldier, focusing on his family, who was left without a breadwinner, his pregnant wife, etc. Like, this is what you wanted? But “Palmyra is yours!” I think it’s stupid to explain to these people about geopolitical interests - they don’t even know the word. It is stupid to explain to them what we are fighting for in the Middle East. It is stupid to rub their noses in the recent bombing of a convoy in Dagestan, for which ISIS terrorists claimed responsibility. They have a standard answer to this - the North Caucasus must be separated. Of course, let's do it. We will separate the North Caucasus and the Volga region, give the Kuril Islands to the Japanese, and the rest to the Chinese Far East and Siberia at the same time, for the Germans - Kaliningrad. Let's repent before the Kyiv junta and give up Crimea. Let’s repent before IS, promise not to bomb them anymore, and generally recognize their “state” and open an IS embassy in Moscow. And, of course, everything will be fine with us: the West will lift sanctions, the ruble will rise following the price of oil. And we will again live as in the “fat noughties”, and everyone will be happy. And, of course, our soldiers will not die for the “separatists from Donbass” and for the “maniac” Assad. I think it’s just as stupid to explain that people inevitably die in war, whether they’re Rambo three times or Terminators. That six “two hundredths” are oh-oh-very low losses, in comparison with at least the losses of the Americans, despite the fact that our operation in six months brought more results in the fight against international terrorism than theirs did in a year and a half. Why explain anything at all to people who are either on the State Department’s payroll or are so cynical that they have no concept of military duty, as well as the concept of respect and love for the Motherland? They won't understand. Well, no need. Fortunately, they are still a minority, and no one takes them seriously. Fortunately, we still have people like Alexander Prokhorenko in our country. We just know his name. And how many are there whose names we do not know and, due to military secrecy, will never know? And how many are there who still have to take this path? No, not Rambo. Rambo is the only one. And Sash Prokhorenko - a lot. We just don’t see them on the screen every day... Dmitry Rodionov