2023-08-26 18:21:18
Three Ukrainian Air Force pilots, including a decorated officer, were killed Friday in a collision between two Ukrainian aircraft, the country’s authorities announced on Saturday.
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This accident represents a major setback for Kyiv, which is seeking to obtain American F-16 planes to reinforce its fleet, which dates from the Soviet era, and to advance its counter-offensive against the Russian army.
“We extend our condolences to the families of the victims. It is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us,” the Ukrainian Air Force said, calling the crash “terrible.”
The crash took place in the Zhytomyr region of northern Ukraine and involved two L-39 combat training jets, she added, adding that an investigation was ongoing.
An air force spokesman, Yuriy Ignat, said one of the pilots killed – Andrii Pilshchykov, known by the nickname “Juice” – was a young officer with “super knowledge and a great talent”.
“Andrii Pilschykov dedicated his short but very brilliant life to combat aviation, he dreamed of seeing F-16s in the Ukrainian sky,” he said, in a tribute posted on social networks.
“You were more than a friend. Rest in peace, you have done so much for us,” he added.
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