Uladzimir Mikalayevich Karvat (Belarusian: Уладзімір Мікалаевіч Карват, Russian: Владимир Николаевич Карват, 28 November 1959 – 23 May 1996) was a pilot for the BelarusianAir Force and the first recipient of the title Hero of Belarus.
In August 1994, three years after the Soviet Union collapsed, he decided to serve in the newly created Armed Forces of Belarus. On 11 September 1994 Karvat took an oath of loyalty to the people of Belarus. He was given the command of a tactical training unit of the 61st airbase in Baranovichi.[citation needed]
Accident
Karvat was honored posthumously for his heroic actions, which took place on 21 November 1996, when his training aircraft (a Sukhoi Su-27p) caught fire. Though he was given the order to eject, the plane was heading directly for a populated area. Keeping that in mind, Karvat steered the plane until it crashed 1 km away from the area of Hacišča, killing him. President Alexander Lukashenko issued Decree Number 484 that day, awarding Karvat with the title Hero of Belarus. The decree stated: "For heroism while in the performance of military duty, we award Lieutenant Colonel Karvat, Uładzimir Mikałajevič the title "Hero of Belarus" (posthumous).[citation needed]