Friends!

Friends! Today, is the 15th anniversary of the Sknilov tragedy - one of the biggest accidents during the air show. Then the Su-27 fighter dropped into viewers. 78 people were killed (28 of them were children), more than 500 were injured.

On Saturday, the 27th of July, 2002, at the Sknilov airfield, the 60th anniversary of the 14th Air Corps of the Air Force of Ukraine was celebrated. To see the exciting show came 10 thousand people.

The team of military pilots represented "Ukrainian Falcons", established in 1995, corp specialized in performing aerobatics at combat aircraft. On the SU-27 aircraft were Colonel Volodymyr Toponar and the second pilot Colonel Yuri Yegorov. During the execution of the figure "skew loop with a turn" the plane sank to a critically low height and hit the tree with a stabilizer. After that it hit the concrete cover, crashed into airplanes which stood on the airfield and then fell into a crowd of spectators. The crew managed to catapult. Both pilots survived.

The General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine and the special commission of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine were engaged in the investigation of the plane crash. The investigation proved that the rules of the air show were violated. In addition, due to the replacement of the aircraft pilot Volodymyr Tolonar incorrectly appreciated its weight, because of a dangerous approach to the ground. But even now, 15 years after the tragedy, there is no unanimous opinion regarding the reasons that led terrible consequences.

Ten people were brought to justice for the tragedy, of which 5 were acquitted. In particular, Vladimir Toponar received 14 years in prison and a fine of 1.3 million dollars, Yuri Egorov - 8 years and a fine of 450 thousand dollars, commander of the 14th Air Corps Major General Anatoly Tretyakov - 6 years and 130 thousand dollars, the head flight on the ground Lt. Col. Yuri Yatsyuk - 5 years and 130 thousand dollars, head of safety of 14th Air Corps Anatoly Lukinykh - 4 years and 35 thousand dollars. None of the convicted guilty did not admit his guilt.

On the 7th of November, 2007, President Viktor Yushchenko spare Anatoly Tretyakov, reduced sentence Yuri Egorov from 8 to 3 years, and on the 11th of June 2008 the Military Court of Appeal acquitted the four generals accused in the case of tragedy in Sknyliv and significantly reduced the amount of fines.

Victims who managed to survive that terrible day and the relatives of victims still complain that they did not receive moral support or adequate financial compensation. Despite the fact that many victims still have psychological problems, they do not have the status of victims and can get nothing from the state.

Some victims decided to complain to the European Court of Human Rights. Regarding the quality of the investigation of the case and the organization of the medical service. According to eyewitnesses, during the evacuation of the medical staff could neither get to the injured, nor leave with them from the airport. The trial of the case in the ECtHR lasted 10 years. As a result, the statements were found to be unfounded.

Today, all who remember this dark and terrible day, honor the memory of the dead at the monument on the site of the plane's fall. Lviv citizens come here every year with flowers and lamps, a memorial prayer room sounds.

An eternal memory to all those whose lifes were taken away this terrible tragedy. Health and strength to those who survived one of the most difficult days in the history of modern Ukraine.