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Funeral ceremony for Russian soldier killed in Syria starts in Voronezh

Anton Yerygin died after being seriously wounded in shelling in the Syrian province of Homs

VORONEZH, May 12. /TASS/. The civil funeral rite for Russian soldier Anton Yerygin show as killed in Syria began in Voronezh on Thursday. The funeral service is held in the city’s Officers’ Club. Yerygin will be buried at the Chertovitskoye cemetery.

"Russian military serviceman Anton Yerygin was seriously wounded in a shelling attack launched by militants in the province of Homs. The shelling occurred as he was escorting a convoy of vehicles of the Russian Center for Reconciliation, whose task is to help cement the Russian- and US-brokered ceasefire." "The wounded soldier was quickly taken to hospital, where Russian military doctors tried to save his life for two days, but they failed to save Anton", a representative of the Russian Khmeimim base in Syria said.

The command posthumously granted a state award to Yerygin.

On April 2, the soldier turned 31. He is survived by his wife, they had no children. Yerygin has a younger brother named Artyom who is currently undergoing military service in Armenia.

Russia’s operation against the Islamic State and Jabhat aln-Nusra terrorist organization (both outlawed in Russia) in Syrian territory continued for almost six months. With the support of the Russian aviation group, the Syrian government troops liberated about 400 settlements. The operation seriously damaged the illicit trade in oil, which is the main source of income for terrorists, and blocked the main routes of supply of arms and ammunition to the militants.

On March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to withdraw the main part of the Russian Aerospace Force’s aviation group from Syria. According to him, the military fulfilled their tasks on the whole. However, two Russian military facilities - at the Khmeimim airport and in Tartus continue to operate in Syria. Russian military servicemen continue to participate in the fight against terrorist groups.

The ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States officially came into effect in Syria on February 27. This does not cover terrorist groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, both outlawed in Russia, and other groups recognized as terrorist by the United Nations Security Council."

Russia launched the operation in Syria on September 30, 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.