Bodies of PMC Wagner pilots brought home to Russia

The bodies of the pilots of private military company (PMC) Wagner, Alexander Antonov and Vladimir Nikishin, who were killed near Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in the Donetsk People's Republic, were delivered to Russia, RIA FAN reports.

According to the publication, the founder of PMC Wagner, entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin, attended the meeting.

"Our comrades-in-arms have been brought back home. They have delivered them with dignity and due respect. The whole country respects them, we respect them and so does the enemy. They are with us again now — this is important," Prigozhin said.

The aircraft piloted by two PMC Wagner pilots was shot down on December 2 near the village of Kleshcheevka, when the situation on the ground began to change dramatically during a combat mission. The enemy forces were about to make an armored breakthrough, which put the Wagner positions at risk. Crew commander Alexander Antonov redirected the aircraft to the armoured column of the enemy.

As a result of the actions of the crew, the enemy did not succeed in its armoured breakthrough, and the positions of the forward assault groups were retained.