9th anniversary of the tragedy of the Mi-8 helicopter that took the lives of General Kulchitsky and 11 other soldiers
May 29, 2014, Slavyansk Donetsk region. The Mi-8MT helicopter of the Air Base of the National Guard of Ukraine carried out a planned delivery of provisions and rotation of Ukrainian defenders at checkpoint No. 6 on Mount Karachun and No. 5, blocking the road to Kramatorsk.
For General Sergei Kulchitsky, these were not accidental defenses. It was his responsibility that he prioritized for himself, it was his people from whom he made the team, whom he prepared in limited short periods of time. In the spring of 2014, he took an active part in the creation of the first volunteer unit formed from Euromaidan self-defense activists and soldiers of the Internal Troops. From these motley men, the General Directorate officer formed the 1st reserve battalion of the NGU, which was to be among the first to go into battle.
He repeatedly told volunteers, “I don't want to be the head of the funeral team. I don't need your heroism if you're dead. My task is to prepare you so that as many of you as possible remain alive.” Later, he led the pioneer battalion to the ATO zone.
Sergey Petrovich constantly maintained the fighting spirit of his subordinates and personally delivered them provisions. At about 12:25 on May 29, when the helicopter departed 800 meters from checkpoint No. 5, a shot from an enemy air raid was heard from the forest strip. The missile hit the aircraft at an altitude of 30-40 meters. A few seconds later, the helicopter crashed — an explosion was heard, which killed 12 Ukrainian soldiers. 6 servicemen of the National Guard and 6 employees of the special militia company of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine died in Ivano-Frankivsk region:
• Chief of the Department of Combat and Special Training of the Main Department of the National Armed Forces of Ukraine Major General Serhiy Kulchitsky, • Instructor-machine-gunner of the fire support platoon V/h 3028 of the Western ATO Ensign Victor Lipsky,
• Instructor-machine-gunner of the fire support platoon V/h 3028 Ensign Valentin Bipsky Lushkursky, • Chief of the combat training group V/h 3024 Major Vitaliy Kurilovich, • Deputy Commander of the 2/h 2269 for flight training Colonel Serhiy Buldovych,
• senior flight technician instructor of squadron V/H 2269
captain Serhiy Kravchenko, • senior lieutenant of militia Petro Bezpalko,
• senior lieutenant of militia Vasyl Semanyuk, • senior ensign Vladimir Sharaburyak, • ensign Vladimir Lysenchuk,
• sergeant of militia Petro Ostapyuk, • star Sergeant of the militia Victor Yakovyak.
All the dead are awarded titles and orders posthumously.
National Guard of Ukraine
