In the village of Viktoriya in the Poltava region of Ukraine, a memorial was held on September 17, 1991, for Oleg Babak, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and was killed by Armenians while protecting civilian Azerbaijanis in the Qubadli district.
According to the Eastern Europe bureau of "Report," Azerbaijan's ambassador to Ukraine, Seymur Mardaliyev, Deputy Head of Poltava Military Administration Anton Chubenko, Chief Assistant of the Military Attaché of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Ukraine Ibrahim Huseynov, diplomats Elshan Rashidov, Parviz Asadov, war veterans, Olek Babak’s parents, and public representatives gathered in front of his grave.
After the national anthems of both countries were played, Ambassador Seymur Mardaliyev stated that the Azerbaijani state cherishes the memory of each person who sacrificed their lives, regardless of their ethnicity or nationality, for the sake of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our Homeland, and continues to support their families. One such hero is the Ukrainian Oleg Babak, who died in 1991 protecting our civilians from Armenian armed forces in the Qubadli region.
"Based on the instruction of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, our state constantly cares for Oleg Babak’s family. The soul of Oleg Babak is also joyful because, under the leadership of the Victorious Supreme Commander Ilham Aliyev, our victorious Army has liberated our occupied lands, including the Qubadli district. Reconstruction and restoration works are now being carried out in those areas," the ambassador added.
Deputy Head of Poltava Military Administration Anton Chubenko, Chairman of the War Veterans and Martyrs’ Families Advisory Council of the Administration Ivan Petrenko, and head of Azerbaijan’s diaspora in Poltava Fuzuli Ganbarov spoke about the heroic path of Oleg Babak and the friendship between Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
