The Polotsk Zonal State Archive presents information for Air Force Day of the Republic of Belarus

Air Force Day in Belarus is celebrated on the third Sunday of August. On this day, celebratory events are traditionally held at various venues. An air show often plays a central role: spectators see demonstration flights and a parade of modern aircraft (airplanes and helicopters). Military personnel are always honored, awards are presented, and heroic chapters in aviation history are remembered—the exploits of pilots during the Great Patriotic War, during the international relief effort, and during the Chernobyl disaster response. Our region has made its mark on aviation history.

On June 1, 1982, the 276th Separate Helicopter Regiment (SHR), military unit 13996, was formed using the equipment and personnel of the 237th Separate Helicopter Squadron, as well as groups of graduates from military aviation schools. According to the memoirs of P. Zavedeev in his article «Helicopter Pilots» (1996), the regiment’s commander, Colonel Yuri Andreevich Mordovin, chief of staff, Major Viktor Nikolaevich Lebedev, and head of the political department, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasilyevich Laptev, played a key role in the formation of the unit. The regiment was permanently based, until its disbandment, at the Borovtsy airfield (Borovukha-1 settlement, Polotsk District) and was intended to provide air support for units of the 7th Tank Army. In total, it consisted of four helicopter squadrons (HS), operating:

1st HS – 38 Mi-24V attack helicopters, six Mi-24K spotter helicopters, and six Mi-24R radiochemical reconnaissance helicopters;
3rd HS – 22 Mi-8MT transport and assault helicopters;
4th HS – Mi-26 heavy transport helicopters.

The unit commanders were Vladimir Leontyevich Bulba, Sergei Fedorovich Duplyakin, Mikhail Nikolaevich Alekhine, Vladimir Anatolyevich Seleznev, and Valery Vasilyevich Zhebrev. Each of them has a long list of valiant deeds and courageous actions; these men shaped our modern aviation. The experience of these combat officers served as the basis for training military pilots. In 1988, the Belarusfilm studio produced the documentary «Helicopter Pilots» by screenwriter and director E. Rostikov, which chronicled the participation of helicopter pilots in combat operations in Afghanistan and the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.

1. Article «Helicopter Pilots», Polotsky Vestnik newspaper, May 31, 1996, No.44

2. Mi-26 of the 276th Airborne Regiment transporting an An-2 (photo by the Telegram channel «Belarusian Aviation Diary»)

3. Ceremonial formation of the regiment on the parade ground, 1996 (photo by P.M. Safronov)