Ukraine war: Fighter ace and two other pilots killed in mid-air crash

One of Ukraine's astir celebrated combatant pilots and 2 different airmen person been killed successful a mid-air crash.

Andrii Pilshchykov won fame taking portion successful dogfights implicit Kyiv during the aboriginal signifier of Russia's invasion.

The Ukrainian subject called the airmen's deaths "painful and irreparable" losses, and paid tribute to Pilshchykov arsenic a aviator with "mega cognition and mega talent".

The clang progressive 2 L-39 grooming planes flying implicit bluish Ukraine.

An probe is nether mode into whether formation mentation rules were not correctly followed, resulting successful Friday's clang successful Zhytomyr Oblast. The portion is westbound of the capital, Kyiv, and hundreds of miles from the frontline.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the deaths successful his nightly video address, saying that his state would "never hide anyone who defended the escaped skies of Ukraine".

Last autumn, arsenic Russia launched hundreds of cruise missiles and drones astatine Ukraine, Pilshchykov - who flew nether the call-sign "Juice" - spoke to the BBC astir the unit helium felt arsenic a MiG-29 combatant aviator tasked with trying to intercept the deadly weapons earlier they struck.

"Intercepting the cruise missiles, your ngo is to prevention the lives connected the ground, to prevention the city. If you are not able, it's a unspeakable feeling that idiosyncratic volition die. Somebody volition dice successful minutes and you didn't forestall that," helium said.

He besides spoke of his lifelong "dream" to articulation the Ukrainian aerial unit which helium saw arsenic his "mission".

Melaniya Podolyak, a person of Pilshchykov, besides confirmed his death, posting an representation of his aerial unit badge connected societal media.

The clang and deaths are a large upset for Ukraine arsenic it prepares to person up to 61 F-16 combatant jets from its allies, successful a bid to measurement up its counteroffensive.

On Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed that English-language grooming for Ukrainians connected operating F-16s would statesman successful Texas successful September, with formation grooming expected to statesman successful October successful Arizona. Meanwhile, different Western allies are preparing to commencement grooming Ukrainians aboriginal this month.

The grooming to alert F-16s is expected to instrumentality astir 5 months.

The American determination earlier this twelvemonth to proviso F-16 jets represented an about-turn. This is due to the fact that the US and its Nato allies - who had earlier ruled retired the determination - had feared this would pb to further escalation with nuclear-armed Russia.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, paid tribute to Pilshchykov successful a connection posted connected his Facebook page.

"A twelvemonth agone successful the USA, Andrii met with American authorities officials, brought up the urgent needs of the Air Force, was successful changeless interaction with Californian pilots, and was the main operator of an advocacy radical promoting galore decisions connected the F-16s [supply]," Ihnat said.

"During the war, helium gave dozens of interviews to Western media due to the fact that helium knew English well, and the astir important was the taxable of conversation: what tin and should beryllium talked astir for Ukraine!

"You can't adjacent ideate however helium wanted to alert connected an F-16... but present that American planes are really connected the horizon, helium volition not alert them.

"Andrii Pilshchykov was not conscionable a pilot, helium was a young serviceman with large cognition and large talent.

"He was an fantabulous communicator, the operator of reforms successful Air Force aircraft, a subordinate successful galore projects. I often supported his brainsick ideas, which gave unthinkable results!"