Yuriy Baydak

Yuriy Avramovych Baydak (Ukrainian: Юрій Аврамович Байдак; born 19 February 1955) is a retired officer of the Soviet and Ukrainian Armed Forces who last served as the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force from 2012 to 2015.

Baydak also served as the first commander of the Air Command South from 2004 to 2006. He was promoted to the rank of colonel general in November 2013, and has the title of a 1st class military pilot.

Biography Soviet service Yuriy Baydak was born in Markovo, Ivanovo Oblast on 19 February 1955. In 1976, he graduated from the Kharkiv Higher Military Aviation School.

In 2004, Baydak became the first commander of the newly formed Air Command South within the Ukrainian Air Force. In July 2006, after he left the post, he took over the functions of the head of the Center for Planning the Use of Airspace of Ukraine and Regulation of Air Traffic of the State Enterprise of Air Traffic Services of Ukraine.

On 9 June 2012, Baydak was appointed the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. On 13 July 2015, he was dismissed as the commander and from military service.

Family Baydak is married, and has a son and a daughter.