The premiere of the film "The Sky", which is based on the story of the feat committed six years ago by the Hero of Russia military pilot Oleg Peshkov, was held at the Khmeimim air base in the Syrian province of Latakia, a TASS correspondent reports. The film was presented to Russian servicemen by the film crew and actors.
"Thank you all, this movie is for you, for your families, wives, children. Your appreciation is very important to us. We tried to somehow, on behalf of the filmmakers, say thank you, somehow support you. <...> Today is November 24th, when this event took place. And we are here today. It's an amazing coincidence; no one rushed it on purpose, believe me," said Igor Petrenko who played the main role.
The presentation was held at a club of the military unit, attended by several hundred soldiers. After that, they were able to talk to the actors and director of the film.
Also on Wednesday, members of the film crew and actors who arrived at the airbase, along with Russian servicemen, laid flowers at the memorial bust of Oleg Peshkov. According to the military pilots, it is much calmer now at the Khmeimim airbase than it was six years ago. Back then planes were taking off almost continuously one after another, working non-stop around the clock.
Lieutenant Colonel Peshkov had been involved in the Russian military operation in Syria since September 2015. During a combat flight on November 24, 2015, a Russian Su-24 was shot down by a Turkish fighter jet. The crew - Oleg Peshkov and Konstantin Murakhtin - managed to eject. The navigator Murakhtin was saved, while Peshkov, who was descending with a parachute, was shot in the air by militants. All terrorists who took part in the shooting were later killed, and the killed pilot was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Murakhtin was awarded the Order of Courage.
About the film
"The Sky" is the first feature film about the Russian counter-terrorist military operation in Syria, made with the support of the Russian Defense Ministry. Sergei Shoigu instructed to make the film for mandatory viewing in the Russian Armed Forces. The project was created by the film company "Trix Media" together with the Russian Ministry of Defense with the participation of the channel "Russia-1". It was released on November 18.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS