Three Ukrainian pilots, including a famous MiG-29 pilot who went by the call sign “Juice” and was part of a unit known as the “Ghost of Kyiv,” died in a plane crash over the weekend.
Two L-39 fighter jets collided in the sky near the city of Zhytomyr, about 87 miles west of Kyiv, on Friday, resulting in the deaths of three pilots, The Ukrainian Air Force wrote on X, previously known as Twitter.
“Among those who died was a pilot with the call sign ‘JUS.'” continued the statement. “We express our condolences to the victim’s family.
During his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who expects crews to immediately be trained to fly F-16 fighter jets – confirmed the news.
“Yesterday, a catastrophe in the sky in Zhytomyr region killed three pilots, including Andriy Pilschikov, nickname ‘Juice,'” Zelensky write on X. “My heart goes out to my fellow pilots and loved ones. An investigation is underway, and the truth will be revealed.”
Pilschikov was part of the Ghost of Kyiv unit, which defended central and northern Ukraine at the start of the war. He has also campaigned for F-16 supplies, according to the Air Force.
The ghost of Kyiv — believed by many to be an urban legend — is said to have shot down as many as six Russian planes on the first day of the war.
Rumors about the Ghost of Kyiv have been going viral on social media almost since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
Pilschikov offered some clarification in an interview with Politico last May, saying that no particular fighter has earned the mythical nickname.
“It’s a collective,” he told the outlet, identified only by his call sign. “We are all ghosts of Kiev.”
He explained in an interview that he got his nickname while training with the California Air National Guard in Fresno in 2018 because he abstained from alcohol and was known for ordering juices at the bar.
The famous pilot also supported Western countries to provide Ukraine with American fighter jets in an interview with CNN in June.
“Our counterattack may be more effective and safer for our team on the ground,” he said.
The crash is currently being investigated by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
In a statement Saturday, the agency said it would pay particular attention to the technical condition of the aircraft and whether the crew complied with flight preparation rules.
A comprehensive diagnosis of the aircraft’s black box will also be carried out, the SBI said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
