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.
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.
