81 year abroad: The hero returned to the homeland

      When the coffin with the remains of Captain was brought onto the cemetery grounds, the sun came out. And at the moment of laying flowers, it started to rain. Thus, under the changing weather, Kirov said goodbye to the hero who returned home after 81 years.

      In the spring of 2026, the search team "Conscience" discovered fragments of a Soviet IL-2 attack aircraft in the area of the village of Listopadovka in the Zelenograd municipal district of the Kaliningrad region. Along with the wreckage of the plane, the remains of two crew members were recovered. It was established that they were Captain Alexander Mashkovtsev, a native of the village of Mashkachi in the Kirov region, and air gunner Pavel Mikheev. On April 13, 1945, their plane was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft artillery while performing a combat mission.

      "At a depth of several meters were the engine, armored capsule, and other large parts of the attack aircraft," the organizers said. "The searchers discovered the remains of two crew members along with the wreckage of the plane. Two pairs of epaulettes were also found: captain's and sergeant major's, as well as four combat orders."

      All the awards — two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War I class, and the Order of the Red Star — belonged to navigator Mashkovtsev. They were handed over to the niece of the deceased, Elena Shatunova. "It is a great joy to hold the orders of our relative," she said. "If it weren't for you, we would never have known anything about this or where and what happened." The orders found at the crash site will now become a family relic.

      "25 days short of Victory"

      The memorial meeting gathered relatives and friends, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Volga Federal District Oleg Mashkovtsev, the responsible secretary of the "Search Movement of Russia," State Duma Deputy Elena Tsunaeva, Governor of the Kirov Region Alexander Sokolov, head of the Kirov administration Vyacheslav Simakov, veterans of the Special Military Operation, members of the Committee of Families of Warriors of the Fatherland, youth army members, and search team fighters.

      Oleg Mashkovtsev, a relative of the pilot, shared that the family always kept the memory of Alexander Ivanovich, although his fate remained unknown:

      "He was only 23 at that time. And he did not live 25 days to see our Great Victory. For our family, this news was something disheartening. After 81 years, an incredible story happened. We arrived in Kaliningrad with great pride and inspiration to retrieve the remains of our relative so that the burial could take place here, in his homeland, next to his mother, sister, and brother."

      Governor of the Kirov Region Alexander Sokolov called this day "memorable and just" and thanked the searchers who "daily return heroes":

      "Just as our guys in the special military operation continue the work of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. I see many young people here and know that your generation will also honor the memory of your ancestors. Eternal memory to the hero."

      A bridge between state and family memory

      Elena Tsunaeva, speaking on behalf of the searchers, emphasized that establishing the fates of the deceased crews is one of the most difficult yet rewarding areas of work:

      "It is a great happiness that the family remembered. The family waited. The family searched. We, the searchers, as a bridge between state memory and family memory, will do everything we can."

      She presented a letter of gratitude from the "Search Movement of Russia" to the chairman of the regional public organization of searchers in the Kaliningrad region "Detachment Conscience" Ruslan Khisamov.

      The ceremony also noted that Alexander Mashkovtsev began his journey in the Kirov Aero Club of DOSAAF. The chairman of the veterans' organization of the aero club, Vladimir Novoselov, handed over a book about the history of the club with a dedication to Ruslan Khisamov, noting that the hero's name was entered into it even before the remains were discovered. Now the information about Mashkovtsev will be supplemented with new documents and will take its place in the museum.

      Ruslan Khisamov himself handed over archival materials from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense to the pilot's niece Elena Shatunova, which arrived in the Kaliningrad region just days ago. "The story of his exploits was recorded in documents and was kept both in the archive and in the family, and in the museum of the Kirov region," he said.

      Farewell with honors

      The memorial meeting concluded with a moment of silence. Then the honor guard began the ceremony of folding the state flag of the Russian Federation. After that, the burial of Captain Alexander Ivanovich Mashkovtsev took place.

      "The war is over, but the memory of generations, like front-line friendship, is eternal and strong. No one has ever put us on our knees, and no one will ever do so. For this, both Alexander Ivanovich and his comrades fought. For this, his descendants are fighting," Elena Tsunaeva quoted lines from a song by Mikhail Nozhkin.

      Eternal memory to the hero. After 81 years, he returned to his native land to find peace next to his loved ones.