Photo: Kyiv bids farewell to Bogdan Zagorulko, the Su-24M pilot who died in a plane crash
Today, June 30, a farewell ceremony for the outstanding Ukrainian pilot, Major Bohdan Zagorulko, was held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv.
The life of one of Antonov State Enterprise’s best test pilots was cut short on June 16 as a result of a Su-24M bomber crash that occurred in the Khmelnytskyi region.
Relatives, close friends, and colleagues who had worked side by side with him on the development and testing of Ukrainian aircraft came to pay their last respects to the hero.
Bogdan Zagorulko was a prominent figure in Ukrainian aviation, participating in complex missions and pilot training both in Ukraine and abroad.
In 2021, Bohdan’s professionalism received widespread recognition during Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations—he served as the co-pilot of the legendary An-225 “Mriya” aircraft, which flew over the capital.
“They don’t just let anyone fly on a mission like that. It’s a very high-stakes flight. And they always select the very best for the crew. That’s exactly why Bohdan was there,” recalls his friend, Reserve Colonel Vadym Bovt.
The major’s professional career spanned more than ten years in the skies, and since 2004, he had been working at the Kyiv Aviation Plant.
The pilot mastered a wide range of aircraft, including the An-32, An-124-100, An-158, An-178, and An-132D, having effectively co-designed these aircraft.
The deceased’s colleague, Viktor Goncharov, emphasized that a test pilot is a top-tier specialist who participates in aircraft development as early as the cockpit and equipment design phase.
“The flight crew are co-creators of the aircraft,” he said, explaining the unique nature of a pilot’s work at this level.
After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Bohdan Zagorulko did not stand idly by and joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 25, 2022.
This was reported by “Suspilne.”
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In the Khmelnytskyi region, the crew was killed in a Su-24M plane crash
