Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented, on Saturday evening, on the killing of 3 air force pilots, as a result of the collision of two “L-39” training planes in the middle of the country, which relied on American “F-16” fighters to bring about a change in the equation of the current war with Russia.
Zelensky’s remarks
In his video daily speech to the Ukrainian people, Zelensky said that a disaster occurred in the evening of the Zhitomir region, in the center of the country, where 3 pilots were killed. He added that among the dead pilots was Andrei Pilshchikov, who holds the rank of officer, stressing that he was “one of those who helped our state a lot.” The Ukrainian President expressed his condolences to the pilot’s family, friends and fans. He confirmed that the investigation is underway in the case and it is too early to talk about details, stressing that the circumstances related to the accident will be revealed.
Phenomenal talent
An Air Force spokesman described Pilchikov as a “tremendous talent” who longed to fly F-16s.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office announced the opening of a criminal investigation into whether readiness to fly rules were violated.
The Air Force wrote on the “Telegram” application: “We offer our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us.”
F-16 training strike.
Zelensky was counting on the rapid training of Ukrainian pilots to fly about 61 F-16 fighters promised by Western countries. The United States had promised to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly these fighters next September. To date, three countries, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark, have promised to provide Kiev with a number of these fighters. And the loss of distinguished pilots will complicate the Kiev mission, because the training itself takes a lot of time, up to 18 months, and the country will be forced to search for replacements for them while time does not help it.
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2023-08-26 23:06:39
