The War Museum welcomed the commander of the engineering reconnaissance platoon of the engineering support group of the 101st Brigade for the Protection of the General Staff named after Colonel-General Henadii Vorobiov, veteran of Ukraine’s War of Independence, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kripchenko (“Vedmid” (“Bear”)). The meeting was moderated by Head of the Military History Research Sector Serhii Siryi.
Ivan Kripchenko was born in the capital of Ukraine in the family of a renowned cinematographer and film director, Merited Artist of Ukraine, laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize, author of the documentary film “Chornobyl. Chronicle of Difficult Weeks” – Viktor Kripchenko. Ivan grew up and was raised in an atmosphere of great love for the Motherland, our history, and traditions. After graduating from comprehensive school № 87 named after O. P. Dovzhenko in Kyiv, he studied at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management. After completing compulsory military service, he worked in his legal profession.
With the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, Ivan Kripchenko stood up to defend the Motherland. As a participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation, he fought in eastern Ukraine as a sapper.
The motto of “Bear” is “Always ahead”. From the very first day of the full-scale invasion, the defender has been carrying out the most difficult and dangerous combat tasks of his unit – conducting engineering reconnaissance, mining routes to prevent enemy advance, demining work on de-occupied territories, and more. On the liberated Kherson region alone, Ivan Kripchenko’s unit neutralized about 8 000 dangerous objects, saving hundreds of lives of our fellow citizens!
For conscientious performance of duty and demonstrated courage during the execution of combat tasks, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kripchenko has been awarded the breast badges “Silver Cross” and “Steel Cross”, as well as distinctions from the commander of the Operational Grouping of Troops, including “For Demining”.
Following tradition, the guest transferred war artifacts and personal items to the Museum’s collection, including: personal sleeve and chest insignia, shoulder strap, gloves, holster for weapon fixation, sleeve insignia of the “Little Bears” unit, wire cutters for neutralizing explosive devices, flashlight, and enemy UAV “Molniya-2” (“Lightning-2”).
The War Museum sincerely thanks Ivan Kripchenko for his testimony about the Russian-Ukrainian war, the transferred artifacts, and for defending Ukraine.
