Captain Petryshchuk Oleksandr Viktorovych

27 February 1987 – 24 June 2014

Petryshchuk Oleksandr Viktorovych

Captain

Oleksandr Petryshchuk was born on February 27, 1987 in Chernivtsi city.

As a child, he was fascinated by information technology and dreamed of a career as an officer. In 2006 he entered the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". After graduation, he passed the complex selection and was appointed to an operational and technical position at the Center for Special Operations "A" of the SSU.

At the end of June 2014, within the framework of the Peace Plan of Settlement of Donbas Conflict, an agreement was reached on bilateral ceasefire from June 23 to 27. The Ukrainian side was to monitor the territory and record the facts of the ceasefire violation in the ATO area.

To this end, on June 24, 2014, a group of SSU officers, including Oleksandr Petryshchuk, installed special telecommunications equipment on Mount Karachun near Sloviansk town, Donetsk region.

After the installation of the equipment, as they returned the helicopter carrying the group was shot down by a portable anti-aircraft missile system fired by the militants. All nine servicemen on board were killed.

For military prowess shown during the defence of the Motherland, Captain Oleksandr Petryshchuk was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of III degree (posthumously) by Decree of the President of Ukraine of August 8, 2014.

Oleksandr was buried in Chernivtsi city.

A memorial sign was erected on the place of his death, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the facade of Chernivtsi Secondary School №27.