Azerbaijani soldier's remains recovered in Russia 82 years after WWII PHOTO

In the Smolensk region of Russia, a search team has unearthed the remains of an Azerbaijani soldier who went missing during the Great Patriotic War, nearly 82 years ago.

The soldier’s identity was confirmed through a personal item — a spoon engraved with his name, Caliber.Az reports.

The soldier was identified as Mammad Fatta(h) oglu Khudaverdiyev, born in 1918 in the village of Goveri, located in Azerbaijan’s Lankaran district. He was drafted into the army by the Lankaran Military Commissariat in January 1942.

The Russian State Military Archive shows that Khudaverdiyev had been officially listed as missing in action since January 1943.

The soldier’s father, Fatta(h) Teymur oglu Khudaverdiyev, reportedly sought information about his son’s whereabouts through the military commissariat in 1947. The family later relocated to Baku, but their trail eventually went cold.

Now, 82 years after his death, Russian search teams are working to locate Khudaverdiyev’s surviving relatives. The search efforts have brought the news to his descendants—and anyone who might know his family—that their courageous ancestor, who gave his life fighting against fascism, has finally been found.

By Tamilla Hasanova