A monument to pilots Nichyparchyk and Kukanenka was erected near St. Sophia in Polotsk. But not even a plane of the model on which they died, but a Stalin-era airplane
On the territory of Polotsk's Upper Castle, a monument was solemnly unveiled in honor of the heroic pilots who died in 2021. Instead of a modern Yak-130 aircraft model, on which they performed their feat, a Soviet MiG-15 fighter jet was installed here.
The solemn opening of the monument on the territory of the Polotsk Cadet School, for which an anachronistic Soviet aircraft from the 1950s was used. In the background is St. Sophia Cathedral, the oldest stone building in Belarus. Photo: belkadet.by
The new monument is associated with the tragedy that occurred on May 19, 2021, over Baranovichi. As a result of a control system failure of the Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft, Major Andrei Nichyparchyk and Lieutenant Mikita Kukanenka, at the cost of their own lives, steered the uncontrollable machine away from residential areas.
On May 19, 2026, on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, a monument was unveiled at the Polotsk Cadet School, a graduate of which was one of the deceased pilots, Mikita Kukanenka. The decision to honor the memory of the pilots is understandable, but the choice of means for this commemoration causes surprise.
A Soviet monument-aircraft MiG-15, installed on the territory of the Polotsk Cadet School in honor of pilots who died on a modern Yak-130. Photo: belkadet.by
A MiG-15 was placed on a low pedestal — the first mass-produced Soviet jet fighter, developed in the late 1940s. This aircraft, a symbol of the Stalinist era and the Cold War, is a participant in a completely different historical narrative. Its "finest hour" was the Korean War of 1950-1953.
At the same time, the Yak-130, on which the pilots died, is a modern combat trainer aircraft, developed in the post-Soviet period and adopted by Belarus in 2015. The historical and technological chasm between these two machines spans about 70 years.
What the Yak-130 looks like. The authors of the monument, apparently, considered the differences insignificant. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
According to official sources, the MiG-15 installed in Polotsk was transferred from the museum of the 116th Guards Assault Aviation Base in Lida. This is a decommissioned exhibit that has no connection not only to the specific tragedy, but also to modern Belarusian aviation in general. To somehow create the illusion of connection, the red number "116" was simply applied to the side of the machine — the number of the airbase where both deceased pilots served.
The location of the monument only reinforces the feeling of absurdity. The Upper Castle in Polotsk is a primary historical and archaeological site, the place where Belarusian statehood began. The Soviet fighter jet was installed just a hundred meters east of St. Sophia Cathedral — the country's oldest stone building and a symbol of its statehood and independence, a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Soviet monument-aircraft MiG-15 against the backdrop of St. Sophia Cathedral. Photo: pvestnik.by
A sad sign of cultural decline in the field of monumental art in modern Belarus is also the monument's pedestal: instead of natural stone, which is the only suitable material for such a primary historical site, it was faced with cheap gray porcelain stoneware tiles. Unfortunately, this is not the first and not the last example of using material suitable for decorating shopping centers or underpasses on monuments in Belarus in recent years.
The new monument is clearly visible from the territory of the Upper Castle, but, despite earlier promises to make the school territory open, it is located on an area enclosed by a fence and inaccessible to visitors.
Stele in honor of Hero of Belarus Mikita Kukanenka. Photo: sb.by
Attention is also drawn to the adjacent stele in honor of the deceased Mikita Kukanenka: a significant part of the text on it is dedicated not so much to the deed itself, but to the fact that the title Hero of Belarus was awarded to him "by decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus."
Photo: belarus-news.by
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