Pilot Andrii Pilshchykov KYIV, Aug 27 (BBC/Reuters): One of Ukraine's most celebrated fighter pilots and two other airmen have been killed in a mid-air crash. Andrii Pilshchykov won fame taking part in dogfights over Kyiv during the early phase of Russia's invasion.
The Ukrainian military called the airmen's deaths "painful and irreparable" losses, and paid tribute to Pilshchykov as a pilot with "mega knowledge and mega talent". The crash involved two L-39 training planes flying over northern Ukraine.
An investigation is under way into whether flight preparation rules were not correctly followed, resulting in Friday's crash in Zhytomyr Oblast. The region is west of the capital, Kyiv, and hundreds of miles from the frontline.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the deaths in his nightly video address, saying that his country would "never forget anyone who defended the free skies of Ukraine".
Last autumn, as Russia launched hundreds of cruise missiles and drones at Ukraine, Pilshchykov - who flew under the call-sign "Juice" - spoke to the BBC about the pressure he felt as a MiG-29 fighter pilot tasked with trying to intercept the deadly weapons before they struck.
"Intercepting the cruise missiles, your mission is to save the lives on the ground, to save the city. If you are not able, it's a terrible feeling that somebody will die. Somebody will die in minutes and you didn't prevent that," he said.
He also spoke of his lifelong "dream" to join the Ukrainian air force which he saw as his "mission". Melaniya Podolyak, a friend of Pilshchykov, also confirmed his death, posting an image of his air force badge on social media.
The crash and deaths are a major upset for Ukraine as it prepares to receive up to 61 F-16 fighter jets from its allies, in a bid to step up its counteroffensive.
On Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed that English-language training for Ukrainians on operating F-16s would begin in Texas in September, with flight training expected to begin in October in Arizona. Meanwhile, other Western allies are preparing to start training Ukrainians later this month.
The training to fly F-16s is expected to take around five months. The American decision earlier this year to supply F-16 jets represented an about-turn. This is because the US and its Nato allies - who had earlier ruled out the move - had feared this would lead to further escalation with nuclear-armed Russia.
A spokesman for Ukraine's Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, paid tribute to Pilshchykov in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
Russia downs drones
close to Moscow
Russia reported a series of drone attacks on its territory on Saturday that killed at least one in a region bordering Ukraine and again forced the temporary closure of three major airports serving the capital Moscow.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defence systems brought down a Ukraine-launched drone over the Istra district of the Moscow region, some 50 km (30 miles) west of the Kremlin.
Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports suspended flights for couple of hours, TASS news agency said.
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