Serhiy Kulchytsky

Serhiy Kulchytsky (Кульчицький Сергій Петрович; December 17, 1963 – May 29, 2014) was head of the military and special training directorate at Ukraine's National Guard. Gen Kulchytsky was killed during the Siege of Sloviansk, when his helicopter was downed by armed pro-Russian separatists.

Military career
Serhiy Kulchytsky had a military upbringing. His father served with Soviet forces stationed in East Germany. Kulchytsky graduated from the Ussuriysk military college in the Soviet Far East in 1981. He went on to train at the Far Eastern Higher Military Command School in the city of Blagoveshchensk, attaining a distinction in 1985. His military career began with the role of marine platoon commander at the Soviet Northern Fleet, based in Murmansk. Kulchytsky served in the Soviet Northern Fleet until the dissolution of the Union. Once Ukraine became an independent state, Kulchytsky moved to the western Ukraine and became deputy commander of a National Guard battalion in Ternopil in 1992. Moving up the ranks, he became the battalion's commander in 1994. In 2010 he was appointed deputy commander of the Western Command of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's troops by President Viktor Yanukovych.

Death
Major-General Kulchytsky was travelling with soldiers to Mount Karačun base near Sloviansk when their MI-8 helicopter was shot down by pro-Russian separatists armed with anti-air weapons. The Major-General, six other National Guardsmen, and six special forces of the Interior Ministry were all killed. At the time, he was the highest ranking officer to be killed in action.

Funeral
Kulchytsky's funeral procession took place on 31 May, in the western city of Lviv at the Lychakiv cemetery.

S. Kulchytsky Battalion
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko congratulated the 27th Brigade of the National Guard with the title Sergei Kulchytsky Battalion, after the recipient of the Hero of Ukraine medal.

Personal life
Maj-Gen Kulchytsky was married with a son.