Squadron commander and pilot Valentin Korenchuk was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine
Ukrainian pilot Valentin Korenchuk, known as “The Beekeeper” and one of the “Ghosts of Kyiv,” was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine along with the Order of the Golden Star. He died in 2024 while on a combat mission, leaving behind a legacy of defending the capital’s skies.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Ukrainian pilot Valentin Korenchuk the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the “Golden Star,” and this decision marked the official recognition of a man whom the Air Force described as one of those who held the skies over Kyiv during the war’s darkest days.
The corresponding decree No. 475/2026 has already been signed, and Korenchuk himself—a squadron commander in the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and a pilot with the call sign “Beekeeper”—became part of the legend of the “Ghost of Kyiv,” because, according to the unit, it was he who, on the first day of the full-scale invasion, shot down a Russian attack aircraft and prevented the enemy from striking the center of the capital.
“Valentin Korenchuk has dedicated over 20 years of his life to service in the Air Force,” the brigade noted, emphasizing that he participated in the ATO and, during the war, flew over 80 combat missions, spent about 300 hours in the air, and engaged enemy aircraft and missiles, as well as drones and ground vehicles.
The military unit also noted that Korenchuk was among the first pilots to publicly and on the international stage raise the issue of the need for modern combat aircraft for Ukraine, specifically F-16s, and the modernization of Ukrainian aviation, striving to strengthen air defense even before these decisions became a reality.
On April 27, 2024, Valentin Korenchuk was killed while on a combat mission, and his name is now officially enshrined among those who have become symbols of Ukraine’s air defense in this war. This was reported by the Air Force.
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