The Ukrainian Air Force announced on 26 August that three of its pilots were killed in an air crash on 25 August in the central province of Zhytomyr.
One of the three pilots was Captain Andrey Pilshchikov, nicknamed “Juice”, a 30-year-old member of the unit known as the “Ghosts of Kiev”, which has been tasked with defending central and northern Ukraine since the start of the conflict. was assigned the task of .Sudden outbreak. The pilot is famous after several interviews with the international media and is a recipient of the Medal of Courage.
In his nightly video address on 26 August, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Jus is a Ukrainian official, one of those who have done a lot for the country.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat described Pilshchikov as a “great talent” and a reformer.
Wreckage of the L-39 aircraft in an air collision in the Zhytomyr province. Photo: RFE/RL
The Ukrainian Air Force expressed condolences to the families of the victims and announced that they were investigating the circumstances of the crash. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office also launched a criminal investigation to see if there were mistakes in the preparation of the flight.
President Zelensky said: “It is too early to discuss details. All details will be clarified for sure. Ukraine will never forget whoever protected the free skies.”
The results of the investigation are important to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, especially as Ukraine prepares to expand the capabilities of its air force.
Wreckage of the L-39 aircraft. Photo: Pravda
share on radio espresso tvMilitary analyst and former pilot Roman Svityan said the crash was “probably” related to formation flying. According to him, the standard distance is 50-70 meters but sometimes planes fly almost over each other at a distance of 3-4 meters.
Mr Swinton said that while flying in formation, particularly at low altitude, the pilot did not have time to launch the ejection seat.
radio Svoboda posted a video showing the burnt-out planes being carried out of a field away from the front line in the village of Sinhury, about 10 kilometers south of Zhytomyr province and about 150 kilometers west of Kiev.
In the video, an anonymous person says he heard an explosion in the air above the school. After this, two planes crashed amidst the fire. A woman said she saw two planes getting closer and closer before they crashed.
The loss of the three pilots would be a major blow to Ukraine, which is training pilots to fly the Western-funded F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine is preparing to receive 61 F-16s from its allies to bolster its retaliatory strike.
The Pentagon announced on August 24 that the United States would begin training Ukrainian pilots to operate the F-16 fighter jets in October. The training period is expected to last for approximately 5 months.
station wise CNNPentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said Washington would begin training Ukrainian pilots in September after they receive English training. Flight training is scheduled to take place in Arizona. In addition to pilots, dozens of Ukrainian aircraft maintenance teams will also participate in the training.
