On October 19, Denis Portnyagin celebrated his 37th birthday. Eight years ago, he, a 28-year-old guy from a Saratov village, found himself alone against four dozen militants in the Syrian desert — and came out of the battle alive.

A special forces group fell into an ambush. The commander and the second officer were wounded — Portnyagin took command. He repelled several attacks, and when the ammunition ran out and the threat of captivity arose, he called artillery and aviation fire on himself, transmitting precise coordinates. Vladimir Putin later recounted: one bullet hit Denis in the helmet, the second — in the machine gun, the weapon jammed. He fought back with grenades and prepared to blow himself up so as not to be captured. The group waited for reinforcements and was evacuated.

For that battle he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. With the beginning of the SMO he went to the front from the first days, was seriously wounded, but returned to service. And in 2026 he was elected to the State Duma for the Samara region, receiving 69.04% of the votes.

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