In Ukraine, three pilots died during training on Friday. A new blow for kyiv, as the country celebrates Aviation Day this Sunday, August 27.
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With our correspondent in kyiv, Emmanuelle Chaze
In the Zhytomyr region, west of Kiev, the Air Force confirmed the death of three of its pilots, who died on Friday August 25 in a collision of L-39 training planes in the airs.
The authorities have announced the opening of an investigation to determine the causes of the tragedy that took place this Friday. Among the victims, the fighter pilot codenamed “Juice”, who had carried out dozens of sorties aboard his Mig-29 to defend, among other things, the capital Kiev.
Train its pilots on F-16s
The death of these three pilots is a blow for Ukraine, which comes at a crucial moment when the country is in a race against time to train, in Ukraine and abroad, its best elements in the piloting of famous F-16 fighter jets promised by its Western allies. The government has already warned that these planes will only be delivered once its pilots are familiar with their use, for kyiv this means that the F16s will not be in Ukraine until early 2024.
In addition, two people were killed and one was injured in a Russian bombardment of the Ukrainian village of Podoly, near the city of Kupiansk, in the north-east of the country, announced the governor of the region on Saturday August 26.
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