Hero of Russia among aircraft crash victims

Among the passengers aboard Aeroflot Nord Flight 821 when it crashed outside the Central Russian city of Perm was a Russian presidential aide, Colonel General Gennady Troshev.

Born in 1947 in Berlin, General Troshev devoted his life to bolstering the Russian army.

He held a number of command posts and took part in anti-terrorist operations in Dagestan and Chechnya in 1999, and was awarded the Hero of Russia, the highest honorary title which can be bestowed upon a citizen of the Russian Federation.

Troshev co-chaired several civil society foundations and was the author of two books.

He took the flight to attend a sports competition in the Perm Region.