October 8 is remembered in the history of Mykolaiv for several tragic and significant events. The city said goodbye to a defender of Donetsk Airport, a renowned photojournalist died during a regatta, and a marine from the Mykolaiv-based brigade was mortally wounded. In wartime 2022, Russian forces also shelled settlements near the Korabelnyi District.
October 8, 2014: Mykolaiv said goodbye to Donetsk Airport defender Yevhen Oleksiiovych Piven
In Mykolaiv, people paid their last respects to Yevhen Oleksiiovych Piven, an officer of the 79th Separate Airmobile Brigade, who was killed on October 4, 2014, while defending Donetsk Airport. The major stayed behind to cover his comrades’ withdrawal and was mortally wounded. Around 800 people came to pay their respects. The serviceman was buried in Velyka Korenykha. Korabelov.info previously reported on his heroism in an article about the events of October 4.
October 8, 2016: Mykolaiv photographer Yurii Pershyn died during a regatta
In the morning in Mykolaiv, renowned photographer and photojournalist Yurii Pershyn fell from the yacht “Admiral”, from which he was photographing a sailing regatta. The heavy pitching and wind sent him into the water. He tried to keep his cameras above the surface, but a wave swept over him. People on the yacht threw him a lifebuoy, but the photographer could not reach it. Yurii Pershyn was 48 years old; he was a member of the “Korabel” People’s Photo Club named after Borys Panov. His body was found in the Southern Buh more than 2 weeks later.
October 8, 2019: fatal crash near Shevchenkove claimed the life of the regional criminal police chief
On the Mykolaiv–Kherson highway, about 6 kilometers from the village of Shevchenkove, a Toyota Camry and a Lexus GX 460 collided. The Toyota’s driver and passenger died at the scene, while the Lexus driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries. One of those killed was Serhii Sydorenko, Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Mykolaiv Oblast and head of its criminal police, with the rank of colonel.
October 8, 2019: marine Viacheslav Kubrak suffered a fatal wound
Viacheslav Kubrak, commander of an engineer-sapper platoon in Mykolaiv’s 36th Separate Marine Brigade, was blown up by an unidentified explosive device while on an engineering reconnaissance mission. Doctors in Dnipro fought to save him, but he died on October 11, 2019. On August 22, 2020, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. A Ukrainian Navy patrol boat was later named in his honor.
October 8, 2022: after Russia shelled Lupareve, locals showed the damage
That morning, the head of the villages of Lymany and Lupareve showed the damage caused by another Russian attack on Lupareve, part of the Halytsynove community, which borders the southern part of Mykolaiv. The strike took place late in the evening on October 7, 2022, damaging a residential building. Fortunately, no one was killed.
This day in Ukraine
On October 8, 2022, a powerful explosion and fire broke out on the Crimean Bridge. That morning, Korabelov.info reported that the railway section of the crossing was on fire and the road surface had been damaged. The bridge, which Russia used to maintain its connection with occupied Crimea, was temporarily closed to traffic.
That is how October 8 went down in the history of Mykolaiv: a day to remember its defenders, tragic events on the Southern Buh and on the region’s roads, and, with the start of the full-scale war, Russian attacks on communities in the south.
Earlier, we wrote:
- The MHP port, repression in Shyroka Balka and fresh water: what made October 7 memorable in Mykolaiv
- Usyk in Mykolaiv, “Nika-Tera” in Korabelnyi and a night of “Shaheds”: what made October 6 memorable
- A 150-bed COVID hospital, Chaika and ships: what made October 5 memorable in Mykolaiv
- From an aircraft carrier to a trolleybus: what made October 4 memorable in Mykolaiv
