Russian soldier ‘ordered air strike on himself’

> Special forces officer formally made national hero

MOSCOW: The body of a Russian special forces officer who ordered an air strike on himself after becoming surrounded by Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria has been returned home.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, 25, died last month during battles by regime forces and supporters to re-take the city of Palmyra.

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded him the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and the Kremilin coordinated with Kurdish forces to recover and repatriate his body.

It arrived back in Moscow on Friday, the Russian defence ministry said.

“Following special joint steps taken with the participation of representatives of the Syrian authorities and the Kurdish militia, the officer’s body has been delivered to Moscow,” a spokesman told Tass news agency.

“Returning the body of Hero of the Russian Federation … was a matter of honour for the Russian defence ministry.”

Prokhorenko’s funeral will be held next week in the village of Gorodki, in Russia’s Orenburg region.

Prokhorenko had been tasked with guiding Russian air strikes on IS targets during the advance on Palmyra by Syrian regime’s forces last month.

He was hailed as a national hero after he reportedly ordered Russian planes to target his position when it became surrounded by militants on March 17.

IS was driven out of the city 10 days later.

Putin posthumously awarded Prokhorenko the title “for courage and heroism in the performance of his military duties” earlier in April.

Palmyra, famed for its ancient ruins, had been overrun by IS in May last year.

Russian special forces have been on the ground in Syria since Putin launched an intervention in support of the Syrian regime last September.

Colonel General Aleksandr Dvornikov said they conduct “ground reconnaissance” for air strikes in remote area, as well as other unspecified “tasks”.

At least eight Russian servicemen are believed to have died so far in Syria, including two pilots whose helicopter crashed earlier this month, the pilot of a fighter jet shot down by Turkey and a marine killed by rebels during a mission to rescue him. – The Independent

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