A senior police bomb technician was killed and three other officers were injured in an explosion at a Rivne police department on Monday, Aug. 31.
According to a statement from Rivne region police, the blast occurred at about 3:30 p.m. local time, in the inner courtyard of Police Department No. 1 while personnel from the explosive ordnance service were carrying out their duties.
The officer killed was identified as 47-year-old Police Lieutenant Colonel Mykola Omelchuk.
The State Bureau of Investigation has opened a pretrial investigation under Article 264 of the Criminal Code as authorities work to determine what caused the blast.
Cause of the blast still being determined
Investigators and emergency services continued working at the site following the explosion.
Authorities have yet to determine what caused the blast and are still examining the circumstances.
The three injured officers served in the same explosive ordnance unit as Omelchuk, police said, though no further details about their condition were provided.
More than 25 years of experience
According to Rivne police, Omelchuk spent more than 25 years working in explosive ordnance disposal, detecting and neutralizing explosive devices.
He rose from a technician-sapper at a forensic research center to deputy head of the Explosive Ordnance Service Directorate and head of its Explosive Safety Department.
“For many years, he carried out the most difficult and dangerous missions to detect and neutralize explosive devices, risking his own life for the safety of others,” Rivne region police wrote in their statement.
He also joined combined National Police teams to clear mines in Ukraine’s liberated areas on four occasions.
“Mykola’s death is an irreparable loss for the National Police of Ukraine, his fellow officers, friends, and family. The bright memory of Mykola Omelchuk will remain in our hearts forever,” Rivne region police continued, extending sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
Omelchuk leaves behind his wife, two daughters aged 21 and 17, and a five-year-old son.
Police said details of the farewell ceremony and burial will be announced later.
Russian attacks on emergency workers
Ukraine’s rescue and emergency workers, including police officers, firefighters and other recovery teams, remain exposed to continued danger while carrying out essential duties.
On Aug. 30, a Russian ballistic missile strike targeted participants in the “Honor the Warriors, Run for the Heroes of Ukraine” event, organized by the Natalyne Village Military Administration.
The local village council confirmed that community police officer Oleksii Zahvazdin was among the three people killed in the attack.
A firefighter with over 20 years in service was killed in a “double-tap” attack on Aug. 12 – a technique Russia frequently uses to target first responders and emergency services as they work at the scene of an initial hit.
On Aug. 5, Oleksii Yukov, the 40-year-old head of Ukraine’s search unit Platsdarm, was killed while exhuming bodies in the Donetsk region. He had spent more than two decades recovering fallen soldiers’ remains.
In June, five Ukrainian emergency responders were killed and at least five others were wounded in a Russian double-tap strike on Kharkiv.