Remains of missing Soviet pilots found in Novgorod region

Two missing Soviet pilots Sergei Kovalchuk and Fyodor Goncharov were found and identified by search engines in the swamps of the Novgorod region. This was announced on May 1 at the Center for Modern History.

"During the spring expedition "Memory Watch – 2026", the Berezka search party (Knevitsy settlement, Novgorod Region) of the Dolina search association, together with the Center for Modern History, found the crash site of an airplane from the Great Patriotic War (WWII) in the Demyansky district of Novgorod region," the Center told RIA Novosti.

According to the fragments of the wing spars and the armored elements of the fuselage, experts first determined that it was an Il-2 attack aircraft. During further excavations at the crash site, identification numbers were found.

Due to the fact that the swampy soil, deprived of oxygen, preserved the parts well, the paint inscription 301133 was found on the engine compartment armor. The same number was found on one of the aluminum frames. By comparing these numbers with data from the Red Army Air Force casualty database, which is maintained by the Center for Modern History and Aviation Researchers based on documents from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, it was possible to accurately identify the aircraft and identify its crew. The remains of the crew members were found about 70 meters from the crash site.

"Pilot Sergei Kovalchuk (a native of Donbass) and air gunner Fyodor Goncharov (a native of the Vitebsk region of Belarus) lay among the cockpit windows and aircraft controls in parachute straps for 83 years," the Center said.

The Battle for the Citadel: how the Red Army stormed the Reichstag

On April 30, 1945, the last stronghold of German Nazism fell

On April 30, the military-patriotic action "Message of the Winner: The Link of Generations" was held at the Museum and Temple Complex of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Patriot Park near Moscow. 1945–2045». Memory capsules with parting words to future generations from veterans of the Great Patriotic War — Boris Khoroshavin, Kirill Semenov and Vladimir Meister - were brought to the Cathedral Square of the complex. In total, about 600 people participated in the event, including Deputy Defense Minister General Viktor Goremykin, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk, the leadership of the Unarmia, the Movement of the First and participants in the special military operation (SVO).