The remains of a hero pilot from the Kirov region will be returned to his homeland after 81 years.

      In the Kaliningrad region, an important stage of the long-term work to establish the fates of Soviet aviators has been completed. In the spring of 2026, members of the search team "Conscience" discovered fragments of the Il-2 attack aircraft during an expedition in the Zelenograd municipal district, near the village of Listopadovka. A deep metal detector helped find the engine, armor capsule, and other parts of the aircraft at a depth of several meters.

      Along with the aircraft wreckage, the remains of two crew members were recovered, as well as two pairs of epaulettes — captain's and private, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class, and the Order of the Red Star.

      Identification allowed for the establishment of names. In the cockpit were Captain Alexander Mashkovtsev, a native of the village of Mashkachi in the Kirov region, and air gunner Pavel Mikheev. All the found awards, as the searchers discovered, belonged to the pilot: Mashkovtsev served as a navigator in the 949th Assault Aviation Regiment of Vitebsk, which was awarded the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov, completed 20 combat sorties, and participated in assaults near Vitebsk, Polotsk, Riga, and Šiauliai.

      The crew's last flight took place on April 13, 1945. The aircraft was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft artillery 24 kilometers from Königsberg. According to archival data, Captain Mashkovtsev dragged the burning attack aircraft for several kilometers towards the positions of the Soviet troops, trying to save the plane until the last moment, but control was lost, and the Il-2 entered a spin.

      Today in Kaliningrad, the remains of the officer were handed over to his relatives. The ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Kaliningrad region Alexey Besprozvannykh, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Andrey Kropotkin, and Commander of the Baltic Fleet Sergey Lipilin.

      "Until this spring, the crew was officially considered missing in action. After 81 years, they have returned from oblivion. A low bow to the searchers for their hard but necessary work. Our sacred duty is to return names from oblivion and preserve the memory of everyone who gave us peace," quotes the press service of the government the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Andrey Kropotkin.

      In the coming days, the remains of the hero will be delivered to the Kirov region. A solemn burial with military honors is scheduled for June 29 at the Novo-Makaryevsky cemetery in Kirov. Captain Alexander Mashkovtsev, after 81 years, will finally find peace on his native land.