Ilya Pavlovich Mazuruk (Russian: Илья Павлович Мазурук; 20 July 1906 – 2 January 1989) was a Soviet pilot and polar explorer.

Mazuruk reached the rank of major general after the end of the war and continued to participate in polar expeditions, retiring from the Air Forces in 1953.

Between 1926 and 1927, Mazuruk was deputy head of the agitation and propaganda department of the Oryol City Party Committee.

[4]: 76  He was decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union and awarded the Order of Lenin for his participation in this historic mission[3] on 27 June.

Mazuruk fought in the Great Patriotic War from June to October 1941, commanding the 2nd Aviation Group of the Northern Fleet Air Force.

After the July 1942 destruction of Convoy PQ 17, he took part in the search for survivors and helped evacuate sailors from Novaya Zemlya.

[5]: 308–311  In August 1942, he became head of the Krasnoyarsk Air Route, responsible for ferrying United States Lend-Lease aircraft.

[6] In late May 1944, Mazuruk met American Vice President Henry A. Wallace on the latter's Siberian visit.

He made over 254 flights to polar research stations, including the first landing of an Antonov An-2 aircraft in Antarctica in January 1956 during the 1st Soviet Antarctic Expedition in 1956.

[1] In 1940, Mazuruk wrote a children's book, Our Aviation (Russian: Наша авиация), published by Detizdat.

In 1949 he wrote Pilots' Guide for Northern flights and Taiga conditions (Russian: Памятка пилоту для полетов в северных и таежных условиях), published by Aeroflot.

In 1953 he wrote On Our Aviation (Russian: О нашей авиации) for older schoolchildren, also published by Detizdat.