Valerii I. Melnyk

In 1988, he graduated with honors from the Kyiv Higher Tank Engineering School. He began his officer service in the group of Soviet troops in Germany as the deputy commander of a tank company for armament and the deputy commander of a separate tank battalion for armament. After the collapse of the USSR, he returned to his native Ukraine, serving in positions as the deputy head of the automotive base for technical matters and the head of the automotive service of the Ministry of Defense's supply center. In 2003, he graduated with honors from the National Defense Academy of Ukraine. He served in positions as the deputy commander of a regiment for armament, the head of the defense planning department of the Main Operational Support Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the head of the Operational Planning Department — deputy head of the Central Automotive Armament Directorate. He was awarded distinctions from the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and state awards about 20 times. While performing the duties of the head of armament for the ATO headquarters, he organized and personally managed the technical support of the troops involved in combat missions.