Kyiv bids farewell to Valentyn Korenchuk, deceased pilot of 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade. PHOTO
Today, on 18 June, the funeral of Valentyn Korenchuk, pilot of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade (call sign Bdzholyar), took place in Kyiv. He was one of the first to defend Kyiv in air battles.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Hromadske.
As noted, the pilot died in late April while performing a combat mission.
The public part of the farewell ceremony took place at St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Military and civilian personnel and relatives gathered. After the liturgy, the procession went down to Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The funeral ceremony continued at the Heroes' Alley at Lukianivka Military Cemetery.
"On 24 February 2022, Valentyn was the first to fly to defend our Kyiv sky. Together with his comrades-in-arms, he heroically repelled enemy attacks," recalls Liubov Kynal, an officer of the "Centre" Air Command.
According to her, he died "like a pilot" - in the sky.
"He is an example for everyone who is at the helm of an aircraft today. Despite the challenges of today, Valentyn had enough time to communicate, listen and inspire every pilot under his command. He was a heroic figure and will remain so in our memory," the officer added.
At the funeral ceremony, Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko, Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, noted the heroism of the deceased Bdzholyar and presented a certificate to his mother.
Valentyn is survived by three children.
What do you know about Valentyn Korenchuk?
Valentyn Korenchuk commanded a squadron of a tactical aviation brigade of the Air Force. He is one of the combat pilots around whom the myth of the "Ghost of Kyiv" was born.
From the first days of the full-scale war, Bdzholyar defended the Ukrainian sky. Later, he performed combat missions in the southern and eastern directions, covering the airspace of the centre of Ukraine.
Valentyn flew more than 80 combat missions and hit dozens of targets of the Russian occupiers. In total, he spent about 300 hours in the sky. The pilot is credited with a historic achievement for Ukrainian aviation - shooting down a Russian attack aircraft near Kyiv, for which he was awarded the State Order "For Courage" (III class).
After such victories in the sky, the legend of the "Ghost of Kyiv" was born in the society. As explained by the Air Force, this is a collective image of the pilots of the Vasylkiv 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade who defended the sky of the capital. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians created the image of a pilot defending the sky over Kyiv region. Among the well-known "Ghosts of Kyiv" are the fallen officers Andriy Pilshchykov (Dzhus) and Stepan Tarabalka.
