Ochakiv plans to name secondary school after the late F-16 pilot Ivanov

Pavlo Ivanov, an F-16 pilot with the Ukrainian Air Force, who was killed on 12 April 2025 whilst on a combat mission. Instagram/Libkos

In Ochakiv, there are plans to name Ochakiv Gymnasium №2 after the late F-16 pilot and Hero of Ukraine, Pavlo Ivanov. He was a graduate of this school.

The draft resolution has been published on the city council’s website.

Pavlo Ivanov was killed on 12 April 2025 whilst on a combat mission in an F-16 fighter jet. He was 26 years old at the time of his death.

The pilot was originally from Ochakiv. Before joining the Ukrainian Air Force, he studied at Ochakiv School №2, which now has the status of a gymnasium.

For his personal courage and self-sacrifice in defending Ukraine, Pavlo Ivanov was awarded the Order ‘For Courage’, 3rd class. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the relevant decree on 13 March 2025.

Furthermore, on 12 April 2025, Pavlo Ivanov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, along with the Order of the Golden Star.

Public consultation on naming the secondary school after Pavlo Ivanov took place from 30 May to 15 July.

The discussion was initiated by the Department of Education and Humanitarian Affairs of the Ochakiv City Council. The final decision on naming the school after the Hero is to be adopted by councillors at a session.

It should be recalled that in May, information plaques dedicated to fallen soldiers, those missing in action and prisoners of war were reinstalled on Tsentralnyi Avenue in Mykolaiv. They had been torn down by vandals in early May.

The memorial plaques themselves were installed in the city on 15 February on the initiative of, and funded by, the families of the defenders. In May, the plaques were damaged by vandals. The police documented the offence.