The death of Andriy Pilshchykov, 30, a poster boy for Ukraine's air force who lobbied Western governments for supplies of F-16 fighter jets, was a bitter blow for Ukraine's military as it battles Russia.
The air force spokesperson described him as a "mega-talent".
Standing beside her were his mother and a young man in an air force pilot's jumpsuit who held up a photo of him, his head bowed.
[1/6]Ukrainian servicemen attend a wake ceremony of Ukrainian military pilot Andriy Pilshchykov, who was killed on Friday when two L-39 combat training aircraft collided over a region west of Kyiv, in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 29, 2023.
Since Russia's 2022 invasion, he had travelled to the U.S. in a delegation seeking supplies of F-16 fighter jets.
Persons:
Andriy Pilshchykov, Natalia Menesheva, Young, ashen, Pilshchykov, Gleb Garanich, JETS Pilshchykov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, …, Yulia Reshitko, Pilshchykov's, Militarnyi, Ivan Lyubysh, Sergiy, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher
Organizations:
Catholic, REUTERS, JETS, U.S, Reuters, MiG, NATO, Thomson
Locations:
Western, Russia, Kyiv's, Kyiv, Ukraine, California