Viacheslav Minka | |
|---|---|
| Native name | В'ячеслав Мінка |
| Birth name | Viacheslav Mykolaiovych Minka |
| Born | 1960 (1960) Boryspil,Kyiv Oblast,Ukrainian SSR,USSR |
| Died | 25 August 2023(2023-08-25) (aged 62–63) nearSinhury,Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Service |  Ukrainian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1985–1994, 2015–2018, 2022–2023 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles / wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Awards | Hero of Ukraine |
Viacheslav Mykolaiovych Minka (Ukrainian:В'ячеслав Миколайович Мінка; 1960 – 25 August 2023) was a Ukrainian military pilot, Major of the40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of theAir Force of theArmed Forces of Ukraine, a participant in theRussian-Ukrainian war.Hero of Ukraine (2023, posthumously).[1]
Minka was born in 1960 inBoryspil,Kyiv Oblast. In 1981, he graduated from theKacha Military Aviation School. He served inKonotop,Mykolaiv, andUman. 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 inDonbas. 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 the40th 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.[2][3][4]
Viacheslav Minka died on 25 August 2023, when hisL-39 combat training aircraft collided with the plane of MajorSerhii Prokazin[5] nearSinhury in the Zhytomyr Oblast. In addition to Viacheslav Minka, two other pilots, CaptainAndrii Pilshchykov (call sign Juice) and Major Serhii Prokazin, were killed.[6] The accident was reported byCNN[7] and widely covered by Ukrainian media.[8] On 26 August 2023, in his address, President of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the death of Juice in the accident.[9] TheState Bureau of Investigation opened criminal proceedings over the crash, and the circumstances of the crash are being investigated.[7][10]
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.[3]
The deceased is survived by his wife, child and other relatives.[3]