"BERKUT"

1) Oleg Yosypovych Chelnov (pseudonym “BERKUT”; born January 31, 1965, Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR — missing after March 7, 1996, Grozny) was a Ukrainian nationalist, serviceman, and commander of the UNA-UNSO “VIKING” unit during the First Chechen War. He was one of two Ukrainians to receive the “Hero of the Nation” award of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. After his death, one of Grozny’s streets was named in his honor, and his daughter in Kharkiv was granted a lifelong pension; however, after the Kadyrov forces came to power, the street was renamed and the payments were discontinued. 2) Oleg Chelnov (“BERKUT”) was born on January 31, 1965, in the city of Kharkiv, in a Russian-speaking working-class family. One of Oleg’s grandfathers was repressed and served a sentence in Soviet labor camps. In 1984, Oleg was drafted into the military. In 1988, he volunteered to travel to the Armenian SSR to help deal with the aftermath of the Spitak earthquake, for which he was later awarded the Order “For Personal Courage.” In 1990, Oleg Chelnov’s daughter Alina was born. Chelnov first went to Chechnya in 1994, where a battalion of Ukrainian volunteers was formed as UNA-UNSO “VIKING.” During the Battle of Grozny in January 1995, the battalion took part in the defense of the Presidential Palace. At that time, Chelnov served as chief of staff and constantly carried explosives with him for self-destruction in case of capture. In June 1995, Lieutenant Chelnov of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria army returned to his native Kharkiv. Chelnov said he received no money for participating in the fighting. Local TV channels recorded several interviews with him. According to Chelnov, as of June 1995, 12 fighters of the Ukrainian battalion had been killed in Chechnya, including 7 men from Kharkiv. Chelnov himself was wounded by a needle bomb: a poisoned fragment pierced his arm. Oleg Chelnov last went to the Caucasus in January 1996. According to the official version, he was killed in Grozny during combat in the area of “Minutka” Square on March 6 or 7. However, there is testimony from people who knew him that they saw him later. Oleg’s body was never found.