Mr. Putin praised Russian special forces who single-handedly confronted 40 terrorists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has honored a Russian special agent who single-handedly fought against 40 terrorists in the Syrian battlefield when he was willing to pull the detonator of a grenade to sacrifice himself rather than be captured by terrorists.
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| Special agent Denis Portnyagin (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Sputnik |
According toSputnikIn the documentary "PUTIN", President Putin "declassified" the story of the heroic actions of special agent Denis Portnyagin in the fight against terrorism in Syria.
In August 2017, a Russian special forces unit of 4-5 members was approaching the strategic city of Akerbat. At that time, the group was suddenly attacked by IS terrorists. Portnyagin's unit suffered losses when the commander and deputy commander were both injured.
In a dangerous situation, Portnyagin did not flinch, picked up a machine gun, opened fire on about 40 terrorists and killed 14 of them. When the bullets from the terrorists hit Portnyagin's helmet and gun, he still fought back with grenades.
According to Mr. Putin, when faced with the threat of being taken prisoner by terrorists, Portnyagin considered grabbing the grenade detonator in his hand, ready to sacrifice himself. Fortunately, after the airstrike by the Russian Air Force, another unit arrived in time to provide support and rescue Portnyagin's unit.
In December 2017, Portnyagin was awarded the Gold Star and the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, the country’s highest award. However, at the time, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not provide details about the reasons for Portnyagin’s commendation, only saying that he had completed a special mission.
“He is a hero,” Mr. Putin said in the film interview. “If he is not a hero, who else can be called that. And there are many people like him in our army.”
"PUTIN" is the latest documentary about President Putin, who is running for a fourth term. In the two-hour film, Putin talks about his family, key events during his years at the helm of Russia, as well as his views and beliefs. Russian and foreign political figures who are familiar with Putin's career path also share their diverse views about him.
