Alexander Nikolaevich
Popov
1996-2022
Alexander Nikolaevich Popov served as the deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion of the 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Airborne Troops, holding the rank of Guards Senior Lieutenant. He was born on June 18, 1996, in the city of Alupka (Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine), now part of the urban district of Yalta in the Republic of Crimea, Russia. In 2008, he moved to Russia with his father, settling in the village of Termalny in the Yelizovo District of the Kamchatka Territory (Krai). He attended Termalnenskaya Secondary School, finishing it in 2014. He led the school’s Young Army unit, whose team consistently secured prize positions in military sports competitions. From 2014 to 2015, he served in the Russian Army under conscription. In 2015, he became a cadet at the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School named after Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky in Blagoveshchensk. He graduated from the school in 2019 and was assigned to the 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, stationed in Ulan-Ude, the Republic of Buryatia. Initially, he served as a platoon commander and later as the deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion. Since February 24, 2022, he participated in the special military operation aimed at protecting the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as part of his unit. On June 23, during a mission to cover the positions of Russian troops, his unit, as part of a battalion tactical group, faced superior enemy forces. Despite being outnumbered, Lieutenant Popov’s platoon made a bold advance toward the enemy’s main attack while effectively coordinating artillery fire and immobilizing Ukrainian Armed Forces units. During the battle, Alexander sustained injuries from an artillery shell that exploded nearby but refused to abandon his combat positions, continuing to lead his personnel. His actions prevented the encirclement of the platoon and sowed panic among enemy ranks, resulting in the destruction of nine militants. However, he suffered another severe injury that proved fatal. The battalion tactical group under his command successfully held back the assault of superior enemy forces, preventing a breakthrough of defensive lines and inflicting significant losses on the enemy. By decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated June 27, 2022, for his courage and heroism displayed while fulfilling his military duty, Guards Senior Lieutenant Alexander Nikolaevich Popov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. The “Golden Star” medal was presented to his father on July 4, 2022, in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by the Governor of the Kamchatka Territory (Krai), V.V. Solodov. He was buried on the same day at the cemetery of the Paratunsky rural settlement in the Yelizovo District of the Kamchatka Territory (Krai). Alexander Popov’s name has been immortalized on the Board of Heroes—graduates of the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School named after K.K. Rokossovsky in Blagoveshchensk, as well as on the building of Termalnenskaya Secondary School, where a commemorative plaque was installed. A memorial plaque in honour of the hero was also erected in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Address: Moscow, Victory Park
