Viacheslav Minka Explained

Viacheslav Minka
Native Name Lang:UKR
Birth Place:Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Death Place:near Sinhury, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine
Birth Name:Viacheslav Mykolaiovych Minka
Allegiance: Ukraine
Branch: Ukrainian Air Force
Serviceyears:1985–1994, 2015–2018, 2022–2023
Rank:Major
Battles:Russo-Ukrainian War

Viacheslav Mykolaiovych Minka (Ukrainian: В'ячеслав Миколайович Мінка; 1960 – 25 August 2023) was a Ukrainian military pilot, Major of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Hero of Ukraine (2023, posthumously).

Biography

Minka was born in 1960 in Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast. In 1981, he graduated from the Kacha Military Aviation School. He served in Konotop, Mykolaiv, and Uman. In 1994, he retired from the Armed Forces with the rank of major and settled in Kyiv Oblast. During the ATO in Eastern Ukraine, he served in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2015. He participated in the ATO/JFO in Donbas. In 2018, he was demobilized. However, with the outbreak of a full-scale war, the officer returned to the Armed Forces. He was a pilot of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, he had flown more than 200 hours before his death.[1] [2] [3]

Death

Viacheslav Minka died on 25 August 2023, when his L-39 combat training aircraft collided with the plane of Major Serhii Prokazin[4] near Sinhury in the Zhytomyr Oblast. In addition to Viacheslav Minka, two other pilots, Captain Andrii Pilshchykov (call sign Juice) and Major Serhii Prokazin, were killed.[5] The accident was reported by CNN[6] and widely covered by Ukrainian media.[7] On 26 August 2023, in his address, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the death of Juice in the accident.[8] The State Bureau of Investigation opened criminal proceedings over the crash, and the circumstances of the crash are being investigated.[9]

The funeral service for the deceased took place on 29 August 2023, at the Knyshovo Memorial Park Complex. Minka was buried at the Rohoziv Cemetery in Boryspil.

Family

The deceased is survived by his wife, child and other relatives.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Джус, Мінка, Проказін: у Повітряних силах розповіли про загиблих на Житомирщині пілотів. Фото. Oboz-Incident. 27 August 2023. 29 August 2023. uk. Марина. Ліснічук.
  2. Web site: Майор В'ячеслав Мінка загинув в авіатрощі на Житомирщині. Меморіал жертв війни. 29 August 2023. uk.
  3. Web site: Джус, Мінка, Проказін. Стали відомі імена усіх пілотів, загиблих в авіатрощі на Житомирщині. nv.ua. 29 August 2023. uk.
  4. News: Роман Петренко . Авіатроща на Житомирщині: у ЗСУ оприлюднили імена усіх загиблих пілотів . Українська правда . 27 August 2023 . uk .
  5. News: Kolomiiets . Viktoriia . В авіакатастрофі загинули троє українських бійців. Серед них — відомий льотчик на позивний Джус . Hromadske . 26 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230827015008/https://hromadske.ua/posts/v-aviakatastrofi-zaginuli-troye-ukrayinskih-bijciv-sered-nih-vidomij-lotchik-na-pozivnij-dzhus . 27 August 2023 . uk . live.
  6. Web site: Well-known Ukrainian pilot 'Juice' among 3 dead in plane crash . 26 August 2023 . CNN.
  7. Web site: На Житомирщині у авіакатастрофі загинув відомий пілот 40-ї бригади тактичної авіації на позивний "Juice". 26 August 2023.
  8. Web site: Справжня міцність є лише в тих держав, які вміють захищати власне небо та шанують власну авіацію — звернення Президента України . 26 August 2023 . Офіційне інтернет-представництво президента України.
  9. Web site: В авіатрощі на Житомирщині загинув відомий льотчик Джус. Українська правда. 27 August 2023. uk.