Family of Oleksandr Kovalchuk

After his death, Oleksandr Kovalchuk left behind his two children who live in Volyn region. Oleksandr, together with his wife, had been working in Ukrtelecom (phone operator company) for 20 years. He was called to military service in the Konotop unit, undertook a course, and became an electric and diesel engineman of the medical company.

The last and fatal place of his service was Bashkyrivka (Kharkiv region). He was sent there, together with his fellow soldiers, for training in the construction of the floating bridges, even though he did not have the qualifications to be involved in such complex engineering works. Oleksandr died under mysterious circumstances along with four other soldiers, as a result of some terrible mistake.

During the funeral when the relatives wanted to find out the cause of Oleksandr’s death, the commander acted with aggression. He did not want to give any explanation, only answered with a snarl that Oleksandr drowned.

Despite the fact that Oleksandr died on July 19, the family did not get any official explanation before December. The papers that they got, stated that the tests, made after Oleksandr’s death, showed 3.2 per mille of alcohol in his blood. The wife does not believe in this version, because if it was a matter of alcohol, the commander wouldn’t have had to cover the circumstances of Oleksandr’s death for such a long period of time.

Thus, probably, because of the violation of the safety regulations by the commanders, this family lost their husband and father, and also did not get any state compensation.

The family has many problems. Oleksandr’s mother is bed-bound and seriously sick, and his daughter also has health issues. And one of the main problems is to put a worthy headstone at Oleksandr’s grave. It is not an easy task to collect the necessary amount of money, therefore we decided to donate money to this cause. At the same time, the local volunteers have helped to pour concrete for the foundation. It will take a few weeks more, but the basic works were finished before this Sunday, which is traditionally the day when people come to visit the graves of their relatives and friends. A lot of people are going to come to the cemetery in Pidhaitsi village where Oleksandr was buried, to honor his memory.