As war losses mount, Ukraine honors a veteran jet fighter pilot who died in collision
By Brian Mann
Relatives and soldiers mourn the death of fighter pilot Andrii "Juice" Pilshchykov, 30, during his funeral on Tuesday in Kyiv, Ukraine. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Paula Bronstein/Getty ImagesRelatives and soldiers mourn the death of fighter pilot Andrii "Juice" Pilshchykov, 30, during his funeral on Tuesday in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Paula Bronstein/Getty ImagesKYIV, Ukraine — During a somber ceremony in Kyiv on Tuesday morning, Ukraine's military along with family and friends held a funeral for Andrii Pilshchykov.
The ace jet fighter pilot, age 30, known by the call sign "Juice," flew dozens of combat missions in the early days of Russia's invasion that began in February 2022.
He was killed Friday west of Kyiv in a collision between two training aircraft. Two other pilots, Viacheslav Minka and Serhii Prokazin, also died.
In an emotional over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the accident a "catastrophe in the sky" and said an investigation is underway.
During the early weeks of the war, Pilshchykov as he and other Ukrainian pilots scrambled to prevent Russia from gaining air superiority.
"We were waiting for a much more effective threat from the Russian side," he said.
Remarkably, Ukraine's tiny fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 planes managed to hold off Russia's larger fleet of newer, more sophisticated jet fighters.
But right from the start, Pilshchykov said his country needed more advanced U.S.-made F-16s to win the war.
"It's a great problem to fight with their fighters for us because they have an advantage in this technology," he said. "Unfortunately our jets are not capable to be effective against them."
A funeral was held for Ukrainian fighter pilot Andrii Pilshchykov on Tuesday in Kyiv. After flying dogfights for months against Russia's air force, the aviator known by his call sign "Juice" was killed Friday in a training accident. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption
toggle caption Brian Mann/NPRA funeral was held for Ukrainian fighter pilot Andrii Pilshchykov on Tuesday in Kyiv. After flying dogfights for months against Russia's air force, the aviator known by his call sign "Juice" was killed Friday in a training accident.
Brian Mann/NPRDuring Tuesday's ceremony, at the Partiarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Pilshchykov was honored by fellow members of his 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.
While priests chanted prayers, a blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag was draped over the aviator's coffin. Members of his family and the public placed asters and roses next to his officer's cap.
"He was a very smart guy, just a great pilot," said one of Pilshchykov's fellow pilots, who declined to give his name for security reasons.
Pilshchykov, known by the call sigh Juice while alive, was honored by fellow members of Ukraine's 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade at a funeral in Kyiv. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption
toggle caption Brian Mann/NPRPilshchykov, known by the call sigh Juice while alive, was honored by fellow members of Ukraine's 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade at a funeral in Kyiv.
Brian Mann/NPRIn the end, one of "Juice's" biggest contributions to the war effort may have been advocating in interviews, like the one with NPR, for Western militaries to donate F-16 jets to Ukraine.
He lived long enough to see the U.S. finally agree to allow countries, including and Norway, to contribute dozens of the more advanced fighters. That decision came earlier this month.
The to train a small number of Ukrainian pilots.
Ukraine is now in desperate need of enough aviators to fly the F-16s expected to arrive next year. Which means this accident was a symbolic loss, but also devastating in practical terms.
