39-year-old military pilot Dmytro Kulykov was killed on February 24, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Farbovane. The crew of a Ukrainian Su-24M bomber heroically destroyed dozens of enemy military vehicles and hundreds of occupiers. Alongside Major Kulykov, Major Mykola Savchuk was also killed.
Dmytro was born in the village of Pryvillia. In 2003, he graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University. He was a first-class pilot and commander of an aviation squadron of the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade named after Petro Franko, part of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the years of the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation, he was on combat duty at operational airfields and took part in combat missions. In 2021, he graduated from the National Defence University of Ukraine named after Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, earning a master’s degree.
From the first hours of the full-scale Russian invasion, the pilot defended Ukraine’s skies from the enemy. He died in battle as a true hero.
“Dmytro was a very open and sincere person, but he always left his work outside our home. Now I understand why. He carried out extremely difficult missions and simply did not want to worry me and the children. On the first day of the war, he did as he always did: hugged and kissed us, told us to pack an emergency bag, to stay strong and believe that everything would be fine. I still live by his promise: everything will be fine, Ukraine will win. I am a million percent sure of it,” said his wife, Yuliia.
Major Dmytro Kulykov was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd class.
He was buried in Starokostiantyniv. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
At 9:00 a.m., a nationwide minute of silence is observed. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial of Heroes platform honor fallen defenders from Donetsk region.