Two Ukrainian aircraft collided in midair while on a training mission over Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, killing three pilots, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) said on August 26.
The DBR said the two L-39 aircraft collided on August 25 in the sky over the region west of Kyiv.
The wreckage of the planes fell into the gardens of private houses about 300 meters apart, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. No one on the ground was injured and there was no damage to houses.
The military removed the last piece of the wreckage from the crash site at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time on August 26.
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Ukrainian Military Clears Plane-Crash Debris
The DBR has opened an investigation that will determine whether the planes were in good condition and whether all rules were followed prior to the flight. Specialists also will examine the so-called black boxes that record data about the planes’ movements and pilot reactions.
"It is too early to discuss details. Certainly, all circumstances will be clarified," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, noting that August 26 is Ukraine's Aviation Day.
SEE ALSO: Live Briefing: Russia Invades UkraineZelenskiy also said one of the pilots killed, Andriy Pilshchikov, who went by the call sign Juice, was a Ukrainian officer "who greatly helped our state."
He expressed condolences to all three pilots' friends and loved ones in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "The investigation is ongoing, and the truth will be revealed. Ukraine will never forget all those who defended its free sky," he added.
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Eyewitnesses Describe Ukrainian Military Air Crash
The Ukrainian Air Force said earlier that Pilshchikov, who had become well known after giving numerous interviews to international media in which he called for modern fighter jets to be provided to Ukraine, was one of the pilots killed.
"We express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us," the Air Force said on Telegram.
Pilshchikov, a major in the Ukrainian Air Force, "dreamed" about F-16s in the Ukrainian sky, said Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force.
A tragic loss. On August 25th, two L-39 military jets collided in the sky over the Zhytomyr region. Three pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force lost their lives. One of them was Captain Andrii Pilshchykov, a recipient of the Order of Courage, 3rd Class, known by the callsign %27JUICE%27.… pic.twitter.com/Pg95JcfRBc
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 26, 2023
"Pilshchikov devoted his short but very bright life to combat aviation. He dreamed of F-16s in the Ukrainian sky! And he has done a tremendous job on this issue," said Ihnat on Facebook.
NATO countries Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway plan to send an undisclosed number of F-16 jets to Ukraine. Kyiv has said it needs the planes to bolster its dwindling fleet of Soviet-era jets as it carries on with a counteroffensive in the face of a significant Russian advantage over the skies of Ukraine.