Pavlo S. Popovych

Military helicopter pilot Pavlo Popovych was killed on April 23, 2022 while performing a combat mission in the Donetsk region. He tried to maneuver to avoid an enemy missile, but the helicopter hit power lines and crashed. Pavlo was born in Novyi Kalyniv, Lviv region. He was a military helicopter pilot by profession. He loved everything related to aviation. He was engaged in modeling: he made models of helicopters and airplanes. He published books and notebooks related to aviation. In addition, he was very active in sports. He was a boxing coach for children. He loved to read, was passionate about history and physics. After serving in the military aviation, Pavlo decided to change the structure and went to serve in the National Police. However, after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Captain Popovych returned to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, namely to the 12th separate brigade of army aviation named after Colonel-General Viktor Pavlenko. He held the position of senior pilot. "My husband was the kindest and smartest person I know. He resigned from the army in September and went to work as a pilot in the National Police. When the war started, he returned to service of his own free will. I asked him not to return, but he said: "Who, if not me, my dear? My friends are dying there. How can I look their families in the eye?". He was a very conscientious person and took everything close to heart. He loved our children infinitely and spent almost all his free time with them. He also loved his profession very much. He lived in the sky and helicopters, knew by heart all the books related to his profession. Before flying on a mission, he said: "I love you so much. Even if I die, I will find you in heaven. And you will be mine forever," his wife Romaniia Popovych said. The hero was buried in the village of Luky, Lviv region. Pavlo left behind a wife, an 8-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. Captain Pavlo Popovych was posthumously awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi III degree.