Serhiy Tytarenko – a major with Armed Forces of Ukraine, was a helicopter navigator, served as the navigator with Lieutenant Colonel Valentyn Tsybulskyy’s crew.On June 4, 2014, his Mi-24 helicopter took off for a combat mission to strike at the terrorist position 4 km off the town of Sloviansk, which had shelled the town with anti-aircraft missiles. The terrorists fired at the helicopter and hit it twice with heavy machine guns and MANPADS. The helicopter fell from an altitude of 100 meters. After the emergency landing, fire engulfed the cabin where Serhiy Tytarenko was trapped. He could not get out as he could not feel his arms or legs. Colonel Tsybulskyy, himself on fire, pulled Tytarenko off the cabin. Serhiy obtained heavy-thoracic vertebral and spinal injuries. He also had a severe compression of the thoracic spinal bone fragments and trauma of internal organs. He has since undergone several complex operations.
For personal courage and heroism in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath during the Russo-Ukrainian war, he was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky III degree.
It should be noted that, in 2012, Captain Tytarenko was awarded the Order For Courage III degree while he served on the 18th separate helicopter detachment in Ukraine’s contingent within the UN mission in Congo.
Major Tytarenko resides in Brody, Lviv region. He has two children, his younger son was only seven months when his father was injured.
The family has not received any help from the government, though they were promised one. Because of bad health, Serhiy needs to be under medical supervision all time.
The military hospital commission has already met and decided that he is not able to serve any longer. He is thus not receiving any salary. He is about to receive a disability status. If he receives a Group A status, he will be getting only a small pension, because he will not be eligible for work, as only Group B status allows one to be employed. Serhiy is currently trying to learn programming in between medical procedures.
His wife is taking care of him but she is having to sleep on chairs in his hospital room as they have no means to rent an apartment or even a room.
To contribute toward Serhiy's treatments and therapies, please visit your branch or contact the call centre at 1.800.461.0777 to make a donation.
Lots of photos of the injured soldiers we are helping can be found on our Facebook page in the album UCU Helps Ukraine.
Read the stories of some of our other heroes:
Questions and inquiries about this initative can be directed to the UCU Helps Ukraine committee, Kateryna Litvinjuk (klitvinjuk@ukrainiancu.com), Michael Zienchuk (mzienchuk@ukrainiancu.com), and Roman Mlynko (rmlynko@ukrainiancu.com).
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