Ihor Bedzai | |
Birth Date: | 20 July 1972 |
Birth Place: | Mykolaiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
Death Date: | 7 May 2022 (aged 49) |
Death Place: | Odesa Oblast, Ukraine |
Branch: | Ukrainian Naval Aviation |
Rank: | Colonel |
Commands: | Commander of the 10th Naval Aviation Brigade Commander of the Ukrainian Naval Aviation Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy |
Battles: | |
Awards: | Hero of Ukraine Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III class |
Ihor Volodymyrovych Bedzai (uk|Ігор Володимирович Бедзай; 20 July 1972 – 7 May 2022) was a Ukrainian naval officer and pilot killed when his helicopter was shot down by invading Russian forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was also the Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy.[1] He was a posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine as a recipient of the Order of the Gold Star, and the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III class.
On 24 June 2022, in accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine, in order to perpetuate the memory of the Hero of Ukraine, Colonel Ihor Bedzai, his courage and heroism, indomitable spirit, revealed during the defense of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, taking into account the exemplary performance of the assigned tasks by the personnel The 10th Naval Aviation Brigade of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the brigade was named after the Hero of Ukraine, Colonel Ihor Bedzai, and in the future the brigade became known as the "10th Marine Aviation Brigade named after the Hero of Ukraine, Colonel Ihor Bedzai of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine".[2]